Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure
by Darksage95
Summary: Nigel sends his youngest recruit, Hazel, on a mission to rescue a herd of dinosaurs for Prehistoric Park after telling her his most guarded secret. This adventure is her biggest as she faces danger, makes friends with a group of dinosaurs, and follows them to the Nesting Grounds. Will she be able to save them before the destined meteor hits? Rated T for some language and blood
1. Into the Past

_Hi guys! I'm taking a break from Pokemon and Gargoyles/Teen Titans for a while. I've come up with a new story idea. Yup, that's right, a NEW idea…about dinosaurs! This idea had been stuck on my mind for quite a while and I decided I should write about it. Now for a few notes: 1) this story is going to be in two parts. 2) I'm following through with whatever species appears in Disney's Dinosaur. I know some are from different continents and some species are…well…different and don't pop up at the same time, but hey, it's a story. 3) There will be an event that would mess around with the timeline, but like I said, it's a story. And finally, 4) I do not own Disney's Dinosaur or Prehistoric Park. The only thing that I own are the characters I create. Now that I've said what I needed to say, let's get this show on the road!_

**Soundtrack: Prehistoric Park opening by Daniel Pemberton/Aladar Meets the Herd (first part) by James Newton Howard**

Intro...

_There is something missing from our world. The amazing animals that time has left behind. But what if we can bring them back? What if extinction didn't have to be forever? We're going back in time on a safari with a difference, as wild life adventurer Nigel Marven plunges into pre-history to rescue creatures on the brink of extinction. His plan is to bring them back to the safety of the present and give them a second chance. This time, however, Nigel is sending Hazel, Prehistoric Park's youngest staff member, back 65 million years to find and retrieve a herd of dinosaurs. This is her biggest adventure yet as she makes new discoveries...and faces many dangers. Welcome to the ultimate wild life sanctuary. Welcome to Prehistoric Park._

It was quiet. The valley was covered in darkness. The stars were up in the sky and gleaming like diamonds. The only sounds that permeated in the air were those of crickets. It was summer and in mid-January, one of the hottest times of the year, at least in this part of the world. The air was still and everyone was asleep. Well, except for Nigel Marven.

Nigel was sitting in front of his desk in his study. His open-air workplace was littered with maps, diagrams, data, and pictures of dinosaurs. The area was illuminated by the few lamps he kept. If a maid came in here while he was researching, she would have a heart attack. He was in his usual adventuring outfit: his favorite blue shirt, light gray vest, and light shorts. It was a normal thing to see Nigel up all night doing research; this meant that he was planning for his new adventure. On his desk were a series of papers and maps depicting North and South America and was littered with post-its.

The man was about to write something onto another yellow post-it when his study was interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the walkway. Nigel looked forward and saw a young girl, about 18 or 19 years old, walk into his study. She was small for her size, the top of her head only reaching his shoulder if he stood up. Her medium-length black hair was tied back in a ponytail. She wore a light purple tank top and short brown khakis. The girl also wore a rope choker with a ring situated in the middle, a bracelet on her right wrist made of the same material, and brown combat boots. The girl stopped in front of Nigel's desk and folded her hands together behind her back.

"Ah Hazel. I'm sorry to disturb you at this time. It being late and all," Nigel said as he got up from his seat and went to her.

"Oh it's alright. I wasn't tired at all," the young girl replied. "Is there something wrong?"

Nigel shook his head and smiled. "No no. Far from that." He walked back to his desk and wrote something on a post-it note. "In fact, I only wanted to talk to you."

Hazel shifted her position, but still kept her composure. She had known Nigel for about a year and was already used to things around the park. Just last year, when she first arrived in Prehistoric Park, she had trouble getting used to the location and especially the park's residents. However, with time, her nervousness faded and she now considered this place to be her second home. There were even some times when she accompanied Nigel on his missions to bring back prehistoric animals. The park already had a few new residents, consisting of four Plateosaurus, a small herd of curious but gentle Therizinosaurus, and four baby Protoceratops. Hazel always looked forward to new adventures and traveling back in time to see and rescue prehistoric animals topped it off.

Nigel finished writing, put his pencil down, and looked back up at Hazel. "Do you remember the very first day you arrived here?"

The girl immediately nodded. "Yes. I remember it like it was yesterday."

"You were very nervous. And nearly fell off the truck when you saw a Titanosaur sniff at you," the head researcher chuckled.

Hazel did the same. "Yeah, I was very nervous."

"And you soon got used to them, and everyone else here."

"That too," she nodded.

Nigel made his way to her and stood about a foot away. "You love this place, don't you?"

Like before, Hazel nodded. "Yes. Very much. It's my home away from home."

Nigel did a small nod and looked down then back at her. "That's wonderful to hear. …This park is my lifelong dream and with what we've done so far, that dream has now become a reality. We're saving various animals from extinction. And I know in the future that we'll be rescuing more. Which is why I've decided to expand the park area."

Hazel grinned in excitement. "Which would mean the park would have more residents."

Nigel waved a finger once and did a pointing gesture. "Exactly!"

"So what creatures are you planning to bring in now?"

The man shifted a little, showing a little uncertainty in his expression. "Well…I've been thinking. This valley is so large that there's enough room to roam around in. I was thinking of something big."

Hazel placed an index finger under her chin and looked down a bit. "Like bigger than a Titanosaurus?"

"No, I didn't mean in body size. I meant in the number of animals. Like a whole family group."

The girl quickly turned her head to him and her eyes widened. "Wait, are you talking about a herd?"

"That's right. I'm thinking about bringing in a herd of dinosaurs."

Hazel couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Sound idea and all, but how are you going to keep them from escaping? I mean, they might break their gates like the Titanosaurs do and they'll need a lot of room to roam around in."

"Ah, I knew you were going to talk about that," Nigel leaned onto his desk with one arm for support. "That's why I'm expanding the place. It's so the herd of dinosaurs can have a lot of room to roam around in. And also…"

The man backed up and knelt down behind his wooden desk. He opened the largest drawer at the bottom, which was filled with various objects. On the very top was a ridged metal object about a foot in length. The middle part of the peculiar pole was raised and both ends had what seemed to be blue lights, which were off. Nigel closed the drawer, stood up, and showed it to the young member. Hazel walked a little closer and observed the thing.

"I've been working on this." Nigel added.

"What is it?" Hazel asked as she lifted the metal object from his hands.

"It's a new thing I've been working on. Wooden barriers and fences are good for small groups of animals, but for a large herd of dinosaurs, that would not work very well. This is just one part of a special fence that I've been working on. When fully functional, the fence would send specialized signals to the dinosaur's brain, letting them know not to venture very far. It's like an electric fence made for a dog, only harmless. The staff knows about it, but I didn't want to tell you until now." Nigel explained.

"Why?" the girl lifted an eyebrow up. She finished observing the metal fence and placed it on his desk.

"Well…I'm not sure how to explain it. Ever since I saw you interacting with the Ornithomimus a few weeks back, I knew that you had potential to be an excellent park keeper, and perhaps a zoologist. I've also thought about the future. As in…when I'm gone, who will carry out the legacy of Prehistoric Park?"

Hazel tilted her head in confusion. "I still don't understand."

"This park is my dream and my life. I don't want it to go to waste. I want it to continue and to thrive for generations," Nigel said with longing in his tone.

It was then that Hazel understood. "You want me to succeed you. That's why you've been taking me with you on those various adventures. You were training me."

"That's right. Now, I know it's a big decision and I understand if you deny it. I mean, it's a big responsibility and all…"

"Count me in," the dark haired girl immediately answered.

"What!?" Nigel said and nearly lost his footing.

"I'll go for it. I love dinosaurs and any other animal. I also know that everyone deserves a second chance. I love this park and I love everyone in it," Hazel explained. She then looked at Nigel and smiled. "And that's why I'll do it. Not just for the park but also for the animals."

The man nodded and patted her on the shoulder. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear. You will make a great partner, and a researcher."

He let go and picked up the fence part. After turning it over a couple of times, he bent down and returned it into the bottom drawer. Nigel stood back up and placed both of his hands on his desk.

"However, I won't give the position of partner or keeper just yet. You still have a long way to go."

Hazel's smile disappeared and she gave him a serious nod. She didn't expect Nigel to say something like that, but if she must prove herself to one day be this park's head successor, then she'll do it.

"What should I do?" she asked.

"I've never done this before, and it's one of my biggest dreams ever since I was a child; taking care of a herd of dinosaurs. I want you to rescue a herd and bring them here," Nigel told her.

"Okay then. What type of dinosaurs are you thinking of?" Hazel once again asked.

"Any. It doesn't really matter. As long as they're not too big though, like Argentinasaurus big," he replied.

"Alright. What period then?"

Nigel looked at her and placed a hand on his chin. He looked down at the map first then shifted through the many papers on his desk. After all the papers were gone, he revealed a large world map that had been hidden at the bottom. Nigel moved his right index finger slowly to various parts of the world. After a few moments, he flipped the map over and revealed the map of Pangaea.

Hazel curiously watched her mentor go through the many papers and maps. She knew that whenever he does that, Nigel is in deep thought. This is just his way of confirming his decision. She also saw him put the papers away and stare at the map for a few moments.

"Um…" Hazel leaved over to him and was about to say something.

"Right!" Nigel clapped his hands once and Hazel backed up a bit. "I'm sending you back 65 million years ago."

The girl gasped and trembled a little. "Wait, you mean back to the time when the meteor hit and destroyed the dinosaurs?"

"Yes," he said with another nod.

"Oh dear…" Hazel put a hand on her mouth. Her fears of his decision had been confirmed. For this mission, she would be on a time limit against the meteor impact.

"But don't worry. You won't be facing a problem like a meteor hit. In fact, you'll be retrieving a herd of dinosaurs after that event," Nigel reassured her, which only made her confused.

"After the meteor hit? But I thought the dinosaurs died when the asteroid hit the earth," Hazel looked at him in confusion.

"They did. However…I did not tell this to anyone because they'll think I'm crazy but…there were actually TWO meteors that hit the earth, 65 million years ago," he explained with some hesitancy.

"Wait what!?" Hazel again almost lost her footing.

"Not all of the dinosaurs died when the first one hit. When I was younger, I did some research and traveled the world. I visited the crater in Mexico and collected some samples to try and determine the age of the crater itself. Then, sometime later, I heard that a new crater was discovered in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. I traveled there, rented a submarine, and collected samples from the ocean floor. Dating the rocks was a very long process and a very difficult one. However, my work paid off and I made a new discovery: the rocks were about the same age, being only a year apart," Nigel explained while trying to stay calm about it.

"Oh my gosh…" was all Hazel could say about his secret.

"The crater in Mexico was in fact 'younger' than the one in the Atlantic Ocean. I also dug for some bones of similar animals and I performed the same procedure on them. The results were astonishing! The same species, same time period, and nearly the exact same age. The bones I found were found near the respective craters and, with a few more detective efforts, I discovered that they were of the same age as those craters! It sounds like a lot to take in, but I'm saying that the dinosaurs survived the first hit," he said in excitement, happy that he could reveal his secret to someone he trusted.

"Whoa…this…this is a lot to take in," Hazel lifted her hands up next to her face.

"I know. It is. Now then, I'll be sending you back 65 million years ago, AFTER the first meteor impacted the earth. And don't worry, you'll be miles away from the inflicted area so things like oxygen and temperature should be fine."

"Uh…okay then," the girl tried to form a sentence but was still shocked by this secret. "That was secret was mind-boggling, but rest assured, I won't tell anybody about it."

"Very good. Also…I forgot to mention this…but you'll be going on your own on this one."

Hazel's mouth dropped. "Huh!? With no backup!?"

"I know. It sounds bad. But…I'm saying that for a reason," Nigel told her.

He then leaned down and opened another drawer from his desk. This time, it was on his left side and it was the smallest one at the top. He brought out a wooden box from it and placed it in the middle of the desk after closing the drawer. Afterwards, he opened the box and took out two objects: the first being a metal earpiece in the shape of a hearing aid and the second a small hand-held device, which looked like an iPhone.

"What are those?" Hazel asked, leaning forward and checking them out.

"These are two more of my inventions," Nigel said. He lifted the earpiece up and showed it to her.

"This earpiece is a prototype. I haven't taken it for a test run, but it's been built with tender, loving care. Before you receive it, I want you to promise me to never show anyone this at all. The results would not end very well," he warned her.

"Okay, but what does it do?"

"This is a special communicator that would allow you to communicate with the prehistoric animals," he said.

"You're kidding me!" Hazel slowly took the flexible earpiece from him. "I can talk to the dinosaurs with this thing?"

Nigel nodded. "Yes. I invented this because I wanted to be closer to the dinosaurs. However, after some time, I thought to myself 'You know, I kind of like the way I am now. Figuring out what they want through observation and interaction is fun.' Nevertheless, I decided to invent it in case my way gets tiring. When I saw you with the Ornithomimus that time, I knew that you would be the perfect candidate for this. So I am giving it to you."

"Awesome!" she cheered.

Nigel then lifted the peculiar phone and Hazel held it. "Now this is a unique phone. It's made from the same materials as the parts of the time portals. I've got one too," he said as he reached into his shorts pocket and showed it to her. He then set his down on the desk and continued to talk. "With it, you'll be able to contact me regardless of where or when you are."

Hazel turned the object over in her hand. She was like a child on Christmas day. "This is so cool."

"Now you have to promise you'll never tell anyone about these objects. The consequences will be severe," Nigel informed her.

The girl looked at him and nodded once. "Promise. I'm ready."

At dawn, Hazel and Nigel traveled over to the area where the time portal usually activated. No one was around and all of the animals were asleep. Nigel illuminated the way with a flashlight. Both humans treaded quietly on the balconies and then climbed down into the dirt passage. They stopped when they were at the end. Up front, two time poles were already set up, no doubt Nigel put them there earlier. Hazel gripped both of the straps on her bag, ready to push onward.

"Do you have everything?" Nigel asked her.

"Yeah. Four of those filtered water bottles, two boxes of those power bars, a flashlight, those shades that would protect my eyes from the elements, some sunscreen, a sleeping bag, my brush, the time poles for the time portal, my first aid kit, a box of matches, and my baseball cap," she said.

Hazel also gulped softly, trying not to alert her friend and mentor that there was something else. _"I have my father's dagger too, for self-defense against predators. I don't like killing, but I'll have no choice but to use it if I'm cornered."_

"Okay, you're all set," the man told her.

He then walked forward to the time poles and activated them. A large portal about the size of the gate and showing a rippling texture like water appeared. Nigel shined his flashlight on it to help show Hazel the way. The girl looked at him and gave him a hug. He returned that hug and completed it with a pat on the shoulder.

"Good luck Hazel," Nigel said with a smile. "And be careful. If you need anything, or if you just want a break, you can always return here. Remember, the time portal poles also record the time and location that you last use them."

Hazel let go of him and replied. "Thank you. And I know."

She stared at him for a few moments before making her way into the portal. The portal rippled as she walked and disappeared through. When she did, the portal in Prehistoric Park closed. Nigel closed the poles and made his way back to his study.

65 million years ago…

When Hazel passed through the portal, she expected to be in an area filled with vegetation. She was very wrong. The place was a wasteland. She knew that even though it felt cool now, the temperatures would climb. There were rocks everywhere and the dust even covered the sky. There was no vegetation and she couldn't see any animals around.

"Wow, I feel like I'm in Egypt or something," Hazel commented. She gripped the sides of her bag and walked on.

For the past hour or so of walking, the temperatures did climb. The sun rose higher in the sky and the place turned into an oven. Hazel had to stop at one point to put on some sunscreen and put her hat on. As she walked, the terrain became more rugged. Soon, she was walking alongside small rock formations and rocky passes.

Her uneventful trek ended when she heard the clattering of rocks. She quickly turned her head to the left at the sandstone ridges. The nineteen year old saw the rocks clatter down to the base, which was only a few feet from her. Hazel stood still and looked around slowly. She checked to see if there were any dinosaurs in sight, but there weren't any. It was at this point that she started to get worried. There are predators everywhere.

After another moment of silence, she continued onward. This time, her senses were on high alert. She walked a few more steps and out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw something move on the ledge. Hazel stopped again and looked at the clearing above. That open space would be the perfect place for a predator to come in. Hazel's hands trembled and she quickly took her foot long dagger out from her bag. She put her backpack back on and strapped the dagger on her side. After doing so, she heard a hiss from the northwestern side.

She gasped. Right there, walking slowly towards her, was a Velociraptor. Hazel unsheathed her blade and held it at the ready. Before she arrived in Prehistoric Park, she participated in karate and even earned a black belt. She also received training with the blade, and it was a good thing she brought one. Hazel backed up slowly and raised the small sword. The brown and blue raptor lifted its claws and hissed at her. When she got into a stance, she heard another hiss from behind her. The young girl turned and saw another raptor there, which crept up while its pack mate distracted her. She turned her back to the ledge and faced both of them.

"Oh man, this can't get any worse…" she whimpered.

But it did get worse. Behind her, more raptors jumped onto the rocks. They growled and hissed at the strange creature. No doubt there here for her meat. Hazel tried to keep her composure and prepared for battle. The carnivores surrounded her and got closer. She was cornered and there was nowhere to run. Hazel put a foot forward and got into a battle stance.

"Me and my big mouth…" Hazel complained.

Right when she said that, the raptor in front of her on the right lunged forward. It opened its jaws and brought its arms and feet together in mid-air, ready for the kill. Hazel screamed and the Velociraptor shrieked as it got closer to her.

_And there you go, the first chapter of this adventure. It's a little short, but it will get longer as the story goes on. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll post the next chapter soon._


	2. Introductions and an Intense Interview

_Hey all! As promised, here is Chapter 2 of Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure. I just looked up some information about the meteor that killed the dinosaurs and the location it was at. I am using another meteor impact as the location for the one that drove Aladar and his family from their home rather than the one that hit somewhere in Mexico. It screws around with the timeline, but this is fanfiction. Anyway, enjoy!_

**Soundtrack: Aladar Meets the Herd by James Newton Howard**

Hazel's been in all sorts of danger before, but being in a scorching hot desert and being surrounded by a pack of raptors is completely new.

The raptor screeched as it went in for the kill. Hazel screamed and quickly dodged to the left. When she did, the girl turned and sliced her dagger across the back of its thin neck. The Velociraptor screamed in agony and collapsed on the ground. Blood gushed out of the deep cut nonstop. The rest of the pack watched as their member writhed in agony in front of them.

Hazel flicked away the blood on her blade and stared at all of the raptors, who were now screeching at her. From the corner of her right eye, another one leapt for her. Like before, she sidestepped it and it collided with the two other members on that side. The dinosaurs were tangled up in a ball and were trying to get up. Hazel took this opportunity to run through the gap and make her escape. She ran up the rocky hill and towards the flat land. Thankfully, back in high school, she was considered as one of the fastest runners and participated in track and field.

The girl ran as fast as she could. The bag on her back was a liability and slowed her down. She wanted to drop it and run, but she needed the supplies in order to survive. She could hear the screeching of the raptors getting louder as they closed in on her. They must have untangled themselves and took part in the chase.

"Great, first I arrive in a scorching hot desert, and now I'm going to be a raptor's lunch! What next!?" Hazel complained. Her breathing and heart rate skyrocketed as she sped through the rocky terrain.

Unfortunately for Hazel, the raptors were very fast. It did not take much for them to catch up to her. One of them was already in close proximity. Hazel screamed as it tried to take a nip at her. Her bag was in the way and served as protection, but soon it would be after her meat. She gasped for air and wanted to stop, but she could not. She could sprint for considerable distances, but her energy was getting used up fast. Hazel screamed for help, but then remembered that she had no backup.

"Why did I agree to this!?"

The raptor screeched and snapped its thin jaws at the air again, trying to grab a hold on her bag.

"Don't eat me! I don't taste good!" she hollered.

The slender meat eater leapt from behind and was about to knock her to the ground. Its arms were up and its feet were together; the claws were spread apart, ready to tear at the target.

Just then, a screech sounded from above. The raptor turned its head up to the right and was ambushed. The flying attacker knocked the raptor away with its feet and sent it flying towards the left. The lithe dinosaur squirmed on the ground before regaining its footing. Its face now had large and bloody claw marks. It roared at the attacker in the sky, which was now turning around to deal a second blow. Hazel did not bother to look back and see what was going on. She was only thankful that whatever saved her from above gave her more time to escape.

The creature let out a loud screech that overpowered the Velociraptor's roar. When it got close enough to the raptor, it regained altitude and narrowly missed a lethal bite at the wing. The raptor landed on the ground again and gave chase to the moving targets.

The being from above turned its head at the fast runner then back at the two-legged on the ground. Using the wind, it folded its wings and sped forward toward Hazel. Then, with its feet close together in front, it grabbed Hazel's bag and lifted her into the air. The girl screamed as the ground below got smaller and the world sped below her feet. Soon, she was nearly about a hundred feet in the air and flying over the wasteland. She held on to her bag straps for dear life.

She looked up and tried to make out what had just saved her. Hazel could only make out a peculiar crest on the head and a long beak. It was then she realized that a pterosaur had saved her. But did it save her only to have her as lunch for itself?

Hazel screamed again. The pterosaur lowered its head and looked down at her and its feet. It then sent out a series of screeches and cries. Hazel stopped screaming and noticed that the way it was moving its beak seemed like it was communicating with her. The girl squinted up at it because the sun had come out of the dusty clouds. The creature kept screeching and moving its head down at her then back up front.

"I'm sorry! I don't speak pterosaur! I can't tell what you're saying!" she yelled at the flying reptile.

Like before, the reptile screeched again at her, this time louder.

"What!?" Hazel screamed her question.

While it was making sounds, Hazel carefully reached into her left shorts pocket and pulled out the metal earpiece that Nigel had given her. She quickly put it into her right ear, making sure that it did not fall while doing so. The girl put it inside her ear and wrapped the long wire around the outside like one of those fancy earphones. Then, she pressed the small button that was situated near the upper corner of her ear, which was also close to the speaker portion of the machine. When she did that, the screeches and cries she heard from the pterosaur immediately turned into words.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT!? IS THAT CLEAR ENOUGH FOR YOU?" the voice, which turned out to be female, asked her.

Hazel's mouth dropped. For the first time ever, an extinct reptile had just spoken to her. She slowly put her hand down from her ear down to her side. She stammered as she tried to form words. This lasted for a few moments until finally, she said something that the female pterosaur did not expect to hear.

"OH MY GOD! THIS THING ACTUALLY WORKS!" Hazel hollered. She was overcome with feelings of excitement and shock.

"What thing? What are you talking about!?" the creature asked her.

"I can understand you now!" the human told her after letting out an excited laugh.

"Just what are you?" she said over the gust of wind.

Hazel closed her mouth to wet it up due to the winds. "Let's just land somewhere so that we could talk properly."

The pterosaur said nothing else after that. Together, they flew over the ground below for another few minutes. Then, she saw a plateau up ahead and flew over to it. The rock formation was large and rectangular in shape. The plateau, which turned out to be a huge amount of sandstone, got larger as they drew closer. The pterosaur gained altitude and flew over the ledge. Finally, she reached the middle of the formation and stopped in the air. Since they were only a few inches from the ground, she released the human, who landed on her feet then fell down to one knee. Hazel looked down on the rock, gasping for air, trembling, and sweating. The pterosaur circled above her and landed across from her, landing nimbly after flapping the wings two times. She folded her wings and took a few steps closer to her on all fours.

"Better now?" she asked her.

Hazel got up slowly and stared straight into the reptile's eyes. The girl was still shaking, but managed to give her a direct nod. "Uh huh…"

"Good. Now I'll ask again: are you alright?" she asked her. The creature spoke to her with a calm and sweet voice, one that sounds very wise.

The girl stammered again, still shocked that she is speaking to an extinct creature. A few moments later, she answered her. "Ye…yes. I'm fine…"

Now that Hazel was on the ground, she got a better look at her savior. The creature stood at about seven feet, just three feet taller than her. She had dark brown skin and a small, purple crest on her head. The crest was upright, rounded at the front and ended at a point in the back, and flat.

"_It's…a Pteranodon. No wait…the crest is upright and flat. It looks like that pterosaur, but it's not,"_ she thought to herself.

"Geosternbergia…" Hazel muttered the scientific name. Like Nigel and the others back at the park, they did their homework on the dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.

The creature tilted her head to the side and lifted a ridge up. "I'm sorry, what?"

"That's what you are. A Geosternbergia," she repeated.

"I do not know what that is or what you are talking about. But I am a Pteranodon," the winged one clarified.

"Oh…" Hazel's eyes widened.

"Um…okay. But…well…it's just that your…" she stammered again, trying not to stare at the pterosaur's crest.

She then threw her hands in the air and then back down in frustration. "Agh! Nevermind."

"You are a strange one. Who and what are you?" the one with the crest inquired.

"Oh dear. I'm sorry. I guess I got carried away there," Hazel put a hand behind her head and she let out an embarrassing laugh. "My name is Hazel. I'm a human."

The Geosternbergia, or Pteranodon in this case, gave her a slow nod. "Hazel…I have never seen you or your kind before."

Hazel shook her head and laughed. "I'm a type of mammal. And my kind are very…unique around here."

"A mammal? What are those?" she wondered.

"You've never seen a mammal before?" Hazel put her hands on her hips.

The Pteranodon shook her head as a way of saying no.

Hazel slowly blinked her eyes. "Wow…okay then…uh…mammals are unlike dinosaurs. You see, we lack scales and are warm-blooded."

"_That and humans won't appear on this earth until millions of years from now…"_

The Pteranodon kept staring at her and did not reply to that. Obviously, she had never seen a mammal before in her life. Hazel knew that the first mammals started appearing during the late Cretaceous; however she did know that they weren't very common at the time. The girl cleared her throat and abandoned the subject to save the flying reptile any more confusion.

"Anyway, thank you for saving me from those raptors…whoever you are."

"Flia," she immediately answered. "My name is Flia."

Hazel did not lose eye contact with her. "Flia huh? Nice to meet you."

"What are you doing here in a place like this? It's not wise to roam around an area filled with predators," Flia asked her, changing the subject.

"Oh…um…you see…" Hazel tried to form a sentence and hide her true intentions. _"I got to think of something quick…_"

It took her a few seconds, but she finally came up with a good alibi. "My home got destroyed and I've been wandering around, finding a new place to live. And this desert definitely does not suit me."

Flia narrowed her eyes. "I see. So the fireball had affected you too."

The girl tilted her head a little in confusion. _"Fireball?"_ She then straightened up, realizing what she meant. _"Oh that's right. She's referring to the meteor that hit the earth."_

The female Pteranodon sighed and looked away. "You're lucky you survived. Not everyone escaped the blast."

Hazel looked down in thought. Even though she wasn't there when it happened, she definitely felt a sense of sadness. This Pteranodon must have lost her friends and family because of that thing. While she was deep in thought, Flia could not help but stare at the metal earpiece inside her ear.

"What is that thing inside your head?" she questioned her, causing Hazel to revert her attention to Flia.

"Oh," she pointed to the special hearing aid. "This thing? Um, yeah about that...after you carried me away from the raptors, you were screeching to me and I couldn't understand it. This thing in my ear allows me to communicate with you. That's why I was so surprised when you started speaking."

Flia leaned in a little closer until she was down to Hazel's head level. "So, in other words, you can understand me?"

Hazel nodded. "That's right. Without it, we wouldn't be speaking right now."

"How could you not understand me before? Everyone understands everybody."

The girl did not respond to that. Instead, she followed up with another question. "So now that you know I'm looking for a new home; tell me, why are you here? I mean, there isn't much food or water around in this place."

Flia cleared her throat and spoke in a noble tone. "Well, like you, I'm a traveler. Actually, I'm a scout for a herd."

"What!?" Hazel nearly fell on her butt at the statement.

"Okay…" Flia was a little surprised at how the newcomer took it. "As a scout, it's my duty to search for safe passages, keep an eye out for enemies, and find food and water."

The human shook her head. "No not that! You just mentioned something about a herd of dinosaurs!"

The pterosaur's head retreated and she turned around, looking at the next long plateau that looked to be about a mile away.

"Yes…that I did. The herd that I scout for is just passed that rock formation," she said, pointing a wing in that direction. "Or at least, that's the last place I saw them. They're most likely out of that area by now. If so, then I just follow their tracks."

"Whoa…and you're a scout. That's a pretty neat job," Hazel walked up next to her.

Flia looked in the other direction away from her. Hazel did not know why she did that. Perhaps she was embarrassed about something?

"The leader of the herd gave me that position. It's not that big of a deal…"

The girl widened her eyes again. This time is just full of surprises. _"Wow...I've heard of groups of animals using a hierarchy system but this is unreal!"_

"So where are you headed?"

"The Nesting Grounds," Flia turned her head to the left, facing the human.

"The Nesting Grounds? I'm guessing that's where the herd goes to breed?" Hazel guessed, and it was a good one.

"I've never heard anyone say it like that before, but yes, that is where the herd goes to have their babies," she replied.

Hazel frowned. Their breeding grounds most likely got caught up in the meteor blast. That impact destroyed everything in its path. If these animals are headed to that place, chances are they'll be walking into a burning wasteland.

"Not to criticize or anything, but that fireball was huge! The impact must have destroyed everything within a thousand, no perhaps a million mile radius! I don't know if your so-called Nesting Grounds exists anymore," Hazel said with a hint of urgency.

Flia growled loudly. She faced her and smacked her wings on the ground, causing Hazel to back up a few steps. "Don't say that! Our home is safe! It's still there!"

The human, who stood with her right side towards the creature and her arm up front in defense, was shocked by what the Pteranodon had said. Flia huffed at her for a few moments; her face was somewhat close to Hazel's. She then closed her eyes and returned to her normal, regal looking pose.

"Forgive me. I lost control there."

Hazel took a few steps forward and stopped. She looked down first then back up at Flia. "No, you had every right to be mad at me. I shouldn't have asked that question."

Flia let out a guilty sigh. "To be honest, I've been thinking the same thing too."

The girl narrowed her eyes. "You have?"

The Pteranodon nodded. "Yes. I tried to tell Kron the same thing, which resulted in a beating," she said and lifted her left wing up. Hazel took a step forward and noticed that there was a huge dark scratch on her side. She let out a quick breath and retreated to her original position.

"He said if I ever spoke of that again, he would kill me," Flia explained.

"This Kron doesn't sound like a very nice guy," Hazel commented.

"He isn't, but I kind of see his way of thinking when he beat me. If anyone in the herd received word of that, there would be panic and hysteria."

The girl frowned. "That's true." She then looked at the plateau for a minute and then back at Flia, who was now looking at her marked side.

"So…" Hazel said.

"So….what?" Flia responded, reverting her attention back to her.

"I've been thinking. Since we kind of share the same goal, me with finding a new home and you guys breeding, I was wondering if I could tag along with the herd."

Flia gasped. "Wha-? Travel with the herd?"

Hazel nodded. "Yeah! I mean, there's safety in numbers right?"

The pterosaur shook her head in doubt. "Um...I don't know. Our leader Kron doesn't take kindly to strangers."

Hazel frowned and gave her the 'puppy eyes' look. Most of the time, it worked for her. But this was the ancient past and she's not sure if this trick would work on a prehistoric creature like a Pteranodon. She hoped it would.

"Aw come on," she clasped her hands together and brought them up like she was praying. "Please? I don't feel very safe around here."

Flia looked at the plateau and stared at it. She let out a sigh and turned her head back to Hazel. "Alright. But be prepared for a series of questions, and possibly an argument if he's having a bad day."

The girl grinned and jumped once in the air. "YES!"

The Pteranodon turned her back to her and outstretched her wings. Afterwards, she turned her head so that one eye was looking at the human. When she did this, Hazel could make out how long her wingspan was. Even though she did not have any means to measure anything at this moment, she estimated Flia's wingspan to be about twenty five feet in length.

"_Wow…that's big."_

Flia cleared her throat and gestured her head towards her back. "Climb aboard."

Hazel lifted an eyebrow up. "Wait, what? You mean, ride on you?"

"Yes…" she replied in a sassy tone. "Or would you prefer that I carry you with my feet?"

The dark haired girl shook her head nervously. "Um, no. Riding's okay."

At that moment, Hazel lifted her arms up and held onto the pterosaur's winged arms for support. She then put her left foot on one of Flia's angled legs and used it to hoist herself up. When she did that, she also did the same to the other foot. After doing so, she slid both of her hands towards her neck and wrapped her arms around it. She made sure not to hold onto the neck as it would choke Flia. Instead, she held her hands down at the neck base, making it easier for her. When Hazel was done, she also saw that her head was very close to the crest. She retreated a little so that she wouldn't hit it at any time.

"Secured?" Flia asked her.

"I guess so…" Hazel gulped.

The Pteranodon turned towards the ledge and reared her winged arms back. "Alright, now hang on!"

Flia jumped off the ledge and nose-dived towards the ground. Hazel let out a yelp and gripped her arms tighter. They only fell for about five feet. At that height, Flia angled her body up and flapped her wings. The human, whose eyes were closed the entire time, opened them and saw the world pass them below. She slowly looked straight ahead and saw the shape of the rock formation get larger. The Pteranodon gained a bit more altitude and within a few minutes, they passed over the rocky ledge. When they got over that, the terrain became a flat, rocky plain. Flia turned slightly to the left and flew towards the sun. Hazel did not see it, but below, there were various dinosaur tracks.

They flew on for the next hour or so. The sun had already started to fall closer to the horizon. Hazel did not notice the day turn into afternoon, as her recent encounters had passed the time. As they flew, the girl kept thinking about the Nesting Grounds and whether it did survive the blast. These dinosaurs may be walking into a death trap and she needed to think of a way to coax them into leaving with her. Hazel pushed that thought aside because it was too early to think that. She then thought of another question that she neglected to ask Flia about.

"Hey Flia?" she called to her.

"Hm?" Flia sounded in a calm tone, even though they were high up in the air.

"How did the herd survive the me…I mean…fireball?"

The Pteranodon turned her head to the back, one eye looking at the human who hung on to her. "The feeding grounds we stayed in were situated close to a set of mountains. Those mountains contained caves with deep tunnels. Those tunnels led to hidden caverns. Most of us were smart to go there…while others weren't so lucky."

Hazel frowned and layed her head down onto Flia's neck. "Oh…well I don't know where that is, but that was a good idea."

Flia said nothing else. The rest of the trip was a quiet one. They flew on for another few miles. Even though they were flying over a natural death trap, Hazel enjoyed the scenery. It's not every day that she got to travel on a pterosaur and pass over the world below. However, even though it was late afternoon, the sun still heated the land relentlessly. The wind felt warm against their bodies and that did not help in cooling them down. Hazel also had to wipe the sweat from her forehead every few minutes or so.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Hazel spotted something in the distance. She had to lean over to the side in order to get a better view. Another few flaps later, she saw that it was a group of creatures. Whatever they were, they were huge and they appeared to be staying in one place; most likely resting. Hazel had to squint in order to make out what they were. Her eyes widened when she figured it out.

"It's…a group of dinosaurs…" she gasped.

"Yes," Flia added. "That is the herd."

Flia flew in closer and then turned to the left. Hazel had to grip her arms tighter and lock her legs close to Flia's just to hang on. After the brown flying reptile curved away, she then leaned in the other direction to circle around the herd. This gave Hazel the opportunity to see what type of herd this was. The sight astonished her.

"There are so many dinosaurs…" Hazel whispered.

As they circled around and got lower, Hazel named each and every one of the dinosaurs in the huge group. She was surprised to see that this herd was not made up of one type of animal, but of many. This herd had a huge diversity! She had learned about the herbivores in the African plains and that they travel together, but she did not know that the same had applied in prehistoric times.

"_Let's see,"_ she thought to herself. _"There's Pachyrhinosaurus, Styracosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Iguanadon, Struthiomimus…"_

Hazel squinted her eyes and noticed that there were smaller dinosaurs in the herd too. _"Stygimolych, juvenile dinosaurs, and…"_

The human gasped when she noticed the biggest member of the herd. It was a sauropod and it towered over the others like ants. She witnessed it lie down on its belly and observe the other members in the herd. Hazel noticed that it was also accompanied by a smaller Styracosaurus and that they were somewhat a ways off from the herd. However, Hazel was mostly fixated on the sauropod, which she easily named because of its shape and appearance.

"_A Brachiosaurus!? Here!? But they were supposed to have died off in the Jurassic period! How did this one survive?"_

Hazel was about to think more on the subject when Flia flew away from that side. She circled over to the front of the herd and pointed diagonally towards the ground. The ground got larger and the herd at the side got larger. While descending, Hazel saw that there were three Iguanadons standing together at the front. The one at the far left was positioned the furthest in front of the trio. Hazel assumed this one to be Kron, the leader of the herd.

Flia descended towards the trio and leaned back, causing Hazel to hang on again. The Pteranodon flapped her wings twice and landed onto the solid ground. When she lowered her wings, her passenger quickly retreated her arms and dismounted. Hazel waited behind Flia, waiting for the right moment to reveal herself.

The leader, who had a purple texture and a slight bump on the snout, slowly turned his head and looked down at the Pteranodon that was a few feet from him. He turned and stood in front of her. His eyes were icy blue and it appeared that he was staring into her soul.

"Flia, what did your eyes see?" the leader asked her. His tone of voice was deep had a hint of stubbornness to it.

"A desolate wasteland," she replied with confidence. Hazel could not help but compare her to a soldier speaking with his superior. "Nothing grows here and there is no water in sight. The raptors are still trailing all around us, waiting for an opportunity to feast."

The Iguanadon let out a snort and closed his eyes. "Very well, you are dismissed." He was about to turn his back to her until she stopped him.

"Thank you sir, but there is another matter I wish to speak to you about."

He shot a glare at her and narrowed his eyes. "And that is?"

Flia swallowed, keeping her calm and composure. "I discovered a wanderer a few miles from us that was being attacked by a pack of raptors. I saved her and she wishes to travel with us."

Kron let out a huff. "And how does this involve me?"

"She would like your permission, sir. She means us no harm," Flia stated.

The purple Iguanadon took a few steps toward her, keeping his strict gaze onto the female Pteranodon. "And where is this…thing you speak of?"

Hazel gulped and took a deep breath. She then walked out from behind Flia and stood next to her. Kron did not show it, but he was very surprised to see her. He raised his head a little higher, as if to make himself look larger, even though he already was. Compared to him, Hazel only stood up until a foot below his upper arm joint, where his arm met his body.

While Kron kept staring down at the newcomer, the other two Iguanadons that were a few feet from him approached on both sides. The one on his right, a male with a bumpier snout and had a darker brown tint than Flia's, scrutinized her the same way. The one on Kron's left was a slender female with a lighter purple accompanied with brown. Unlike the other two, she only widened her eyes and did not give her any negative expressions.

"What is this?" Kron asked in a stricter tone.

"This is the creature that I spoke of. The one that I rescued," Flia replied.

Hazel swallowed and waved her hand once. "Um...hi. My name is Hazel. Flia here saved me a while back and I would like to join the herd in this trip."

The leader let out a snort. "And why would I agree to that?"

"Because Flia saved me and I would like to return her the favor. I could assist her in her scouting duty," Hazel answered.

The large brown one on the left growled and stomped a hoof down. "You? Just what are you anyway? You do not have wings, horns, a tail, no sharp teeth, or claws!"

Hazel was intimidated by this one's action and gruff voice. She took a step back and her arm was up in defense. Judging by how the two males were at judging her, it looked like her request to join the herd would be rebuked. Even so, she did her best to control her shivering and retain her calm composure.

The brown one looked next to him at Kron. "I say leave her with the raptors. She is of no use to us."

"You do not sport any way of defense. And I do not just pick a random creature from anywhere and call them a scout," the leader spoke and stared down at the small human.

Hazel clenched her fists and furrowed her eyebrows to show her determination. Being small is one thing, but being called useless had definitely pushed her buttons. "Look, I can defend myself!"

The girl gripped her scabbard at her side and placed her hand on the blade's hilt. She unsheathed it in a fast, swiping motion, which made the three dinosaurs go back a step to avoid it. They had never seen anything like it: it was shiny, small, yet sharp like a horn. The blade itself appeared to be about a foot long, looking more like a sword than a dagger. She then returned it back into its sturdy black sheath.

"I held my own against the Velociraptors for quite some time! One of them was about to attack me from behind until Flia swooped in and saved me. I cannot fly but I can help her with her scouting. I can help her spot danger, look for safe passages, and help find food, shelter, and more importantly, water. Two eyes in the sky are better than one."

Kron stepped forward and let out a soft hiss. "Your means of defense appear worthless to me. I am impressed that you managed to defend yourself against predators like those. But just because you held your own does not make you worthy of a higher position. Go and live the last moments of your life as you please."

"Excuse me!" the angry human retorted. "But I'm tougher than I look!"

"I said…leave," he coolly told her.

"But!"

"Buzz off shorty! We've got all the scouts we need and we don't need help from one like you!" the hefty Iguanadon retorted at her, which made her go into a battle stance.

Hazel stared at him in anger. Flia looked at both of them and prepared herself to defend Hazel if he attacked. The human growled and stared deeply into his eyes, showing that she was ready to fight him if he started one. Kron utters a 'humph' and turns his back to her. The female Iguanadon follows and catches up to him.

"Kron, let her come with us. She can help Flia and thus aid us in our survival. She also owes Flia her gratitude and she would like to repay that debt by helping her and you," she explained to him.

"I have never seen the likes of her and she had appeared out of nowhere. Therefore, I do not trust her. This stranger also does not know the ways of this herd."

"Then Flia can teach her. This Hazel does not appear to be a threat. Please, let her come with us," she implored to him.

Kron stopped walking and looked down. His associate also stopped and stared at him, waiting for an answer. Back with Hazel, she had just gotten into an argument with the Iguanadon. He had been telling her that all of the other scouts could take on larger predators while she could not. That and her stature made her seem like she wouldn't last a day in these conditions. Hazel was just about to fight back with her statement when she saw Kron and the female walk up to her. She relaxed from her stance and stood straight, looking up at the leader.

"Relax Bruton," he told the other male. The one known as Bruton backed off and stood in level with his superior. "Perhaps you do possess some skill. Before I make my final decision, tell me, what are you?"

"I'm a human," she responded.

Bruton lowered his head and shot a glare at her. "And where do you come from, human?"

Hazel swallowed again, her throat dry due to defending herself from Bruton. "Very far away. My home was destroyed by the fireball and I am searching for a new one."

The leader scrutinized her. His expression reminded Hazel of a dictator staring down at his lowly peasants. Except this one was a lot taller and could easily kill her if he wanted to. Kron grunted and turned away from her. The hefty Iguanadon next to him did the same and left her. The female also turned and followed but was the last to go.

"Very well, you may come with us."

Both human and Pteranodon looked at each other and smiled, knowing that the discussion went well. The smiles disappeared they looked and saw Kron turn his head at them.

"I am only doing this for our survival. If you get in my way or question my authority, this land and the predators will not be the ones you will worry about!" With that said, he stormed off and left the duo.

The lavender colored female turned her head at them and gave Hazel a reassuring smile. "Don't mind him. That's how my brother treats newcomers," she turned and walked off then added another to her statement. "No matter how unique they are."

Once they were far enough, Hazel took a deep breath and held on to her knees. She stared at the ground and took in deep breaths. Her ordeal was over.

"_Man, that was the most intense interview ever!"_ she screamed in her head.

The dark haired girl straightened up and looked back at Flia, her face filled with fear. "Yeesh…that was harsh."

Flia gave her an 'I told you so' look. "I warned you about him."

Hazel folded her arms across her chest and smiled. "Hey, I made the cut. As long as I don't get in his way or piss him off, then I'll be fine."

The Pteranodon chuckled and turned her head at the herd. The dinosaurs were already on their bellies and preparing to rest. Flia eyed at Hazel and then to the herd, particularly the ones in the back.

"Come. I want to introduce you to my friends," she told her.

"Your friends?" Hazel wondered.

"Yes. Two old women that have much more respect towards anyone than Kron."

Hazel thought about this for a minute and walked with her. They walked through the resting herd. Most of which were curiously watching Hazel and some were sniffing her as she passed. She did not mind them, but did remain quiet and calm. Hazel also pet their heads a few times when she had the chance. While they walked on, Hazel noticed that they were headed towards the Brachiosaurus and the Styracosaurus in the back. She hoped that what Flia had told her about her friends was true.

_Whew, there we go. Chapter 2 is finished! So Hazel not only fessed up to a pack of raptors, but also to two Iguanadons with attitudes. What else is in store for her? And will she live up to Kron's expectations as his newest scout? Find out next time on Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure._


	3. The First Night

_Hello guys. Darksage95 here, still on her quest to fulfill her dream of writing stories. I am currently trying to create a soundtrack for this story and I will post the results later on. Now before we get on with the story, I do not own Disney's Dinosaur or Prehistoric Park. And I do not own the companies that own them. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!_

"_So, a summary of what's happened to me so far,"_ Hazel thought as she walked through the crowd of fatigued dinosaurs. _"Nigel sends me on a mission to find a herd to bring to Prehistoric Park, I almost get eaten by a pack of Velociraptors, I meet a Pteranodon named Flia, and I get permission to join the herd by a jerkass Iguanadon named Kron."_

Hazel stayed close behind Flia while they walked. Flia, whose specialty was in the air and not on land, walked on her arms and feet. Earlier, she told Hazel she could move faster, but to an extent. Thankfully, her slow walking pace is the same as the human's. The duo walked past a few dinosaurs who were either tending to their legs or to their children.

When they did, Hazel came up with an idea. It had some flaws and the chances of it working seemed promising. _"This Nesting Grounds they're headed to most likely got destroyed in the impact. I want to save them and bring them back to my time...but then that would mean discussing this with Kron."_ Hazel shuddered at the thought of arguing with the stubborn leader. From what she had learned from a few minutes ago, Kron took pride in his leadership. And questioning it would only result in an immediate "expulsion". _"If this so-called Nesting Grounds did survive, I can let them settle down for a while then bring them home before the fatal meteor hits. If not, my theory would be proven correct and I would have to bring them back anyway. Hopefully by then, Kron would have a better mind-set. Either way, these dinos would be safe and would be given a second chance at Prehistoric Park."_

The girl pondered this the rest of the way. Hazel frowned at the thought of this herd dying before given this second chance. The idea sounds great, but she knew that a number of these dinosaurs would not live to even see Prehistoric Park. Hazel knew that if the distance to the Nesting Grounds and the lack of resources would not kill them, then either the climate or the stalking predators would.

"_I guess I'll have to stay with these guys and make sure they get to their breeding grounds safely. And hopefully, I can survive this trek too,"_ she told herself while she avoided stepping on the sleeping Microceratops.

Flia stopped and outstretched her wing to block Hazel. She stopped too and her view was blocked by the thin membrane. The petite girl looked at Flia, an eye on her.

"Stay behind me until the right moment," was all she said.

Hazel nodded and stayed behind the Pteranodon. They walked on for another minute until Flia stopped. When she did, Hazel nearly bumped into her. The girl crouched a little to make sure whatever was up front would not see her.

Flia smiled, knowing that she was now among friends. The old Styracosaurus was already on her belly and was chatting with the immense form of the Brachiosaurus, who was doing the same thing. While they did that, the little Ankylosaurus was moving a rock back and forth with his paws.

"Hello ladies," the pterosaur greeted.

The two dinosaurs turned their attention towards her. The ceratopsian had not trouble doing so, but as for the sauropod, she had to maneuver her neck so that she would lean in closer to her. As for the Ankylosaur, he stopped playing and stared at the brown pterosaur while panting.

"Hey Flia," the stout dinosaur greeted with a nod. The voice sounded like an elder that had seen everything. It was low and had a tough tone, yet sounded friendly.

"Greetings Flia. How are you today?" the Brachiosaurus asked her. Hazel compared the voice of the sauropod to her own grandmother, who sounded the same way. This voice had an accent to it and a noble, proper tone. This one sounded very polite and would not hurt a fly.

Flia spread out her wings and shook them for a bit before returning them to their folded posture. "Fine, but tired. This place is relentless; the sun fries my back the higher I go and the wind doesn't do a very good job of cooling. I would give anything, even my wings, for some water and a cool breeze."

"Girl, you've been flying for us for years. You ought to be used to this by now," the gruff female spoke.

"I know Eema, but still. It's hard to believe all of you make this trek every year," she replied, looked at the Styracosaurus.

"Plus," the one known as Eema added. "We're all suffering here. It's only a matter of time before one of us drops dead and becomes fast food."

Hazel put a hand on her mouth and snickered quietly. These old women sounded funny, especially Eema. She would not mind hanging out with them.

"Oh Eema! Stop it! You're scaring me!" the Brachiosaurus reared her head back slowly and glared at her.

"Well it's true Baylene! With the pace that we're going at, not all of us are going to make it to the Nesting Grounds!"

"No! I refuse to become dinner! And stop your pessimism, you're freaking me out!"

Both dinosaurs got into a verbal confrontation: Eema trying to ingrain the truth into Baylene and Baylene who was trying to make her stop. Flia put her winged hand on her temples and groaned. Hazel did the same and wanted to make them stop by showing herself. This was a fantastic way to make a first impression to someone who was not in front of them…

Flia had had enough. She smacked her wing on the ground and screamed at them.

"Will you two knock it off!? You both are acting like hatchlings!"

Immediately, both old women stopped their bickering and stared at the angry Flia. Hazel froze and did not breathe for a few seconds. Her face was full of fear. If Kron or any carnivore would not scare her to death, then perhaps an angry Flia would.

Flia breathed in slowly and calmed down. "We'll survive. We just have to stay strong. Arguing will not help us get to the Nesting Grounds."

With that said, the old Styracosaurus turned to Baylene and apologized. The other did the same as well.

"I'm sorry Eema, for my rude behavior."

"No Baylene, it's my fault. I scared you into thinking of dying."

Baylene gave her a reassuring nod. "Apology accepted. Just don't do that again."

With that said and done, Flia clapped her hands…er…wings… together. "Okay, now that we're not freaking out anymore, I would like to introduce you to someone."

Eema widened her eyes and gave her a mischevious grin. "Oh? A new friend? Or a boyfriend?" She giggled at that. Flia resisted starting an argument, even though it was just a joke. She cleared her throat and spoke again.

"No. Far from it. She's a little shy and this is her first time in a herd."

The immense Brachiosaurus shuddered. "Oh my goodness…and she heard the two of us arguing. She probably has a bad impression of us now." Baylene let out a guilty groan and lowered her head in shame.

"Actually…" Hazel said as she walked out from behind Flia. "I think the two of you are fine old women."

The three dinosaurs gasped when they saw the strange creature walk out from behind the Pteranodon and stand in front of them. Like the other dinosaurs Hazel encountered, these three had never seen a human before, or probably any other mammal. Now that Hazel got out of hiding, she finally had a good look at Flia's friends. The Styracosaurus, whom she heard was named Eema, was short and stout. There were wrinkles all over her body and most of her horns were blunt, all of which were signs of old age. Hazel's height was up to her eye ridges. As for Baylene, she too had tiny wrinkles all over her body. Her immense size dwarfed the small human by a lot. Finally, there was Url. To Hazel, he was pretty small for his species. The Ankylosaur got up and ran to her. The girl put her hands up in defense, but was unable to stop him. Url pushed her down to the ground with his head, causing Hazel to land with a grunt. The Ankylosaur then started licking her all over her face. Trapped and now drenched in slobber, Hazel couldn't help but laugh while he did that.

Eema giggled. "Oh my goodness. Url's warmed up to you. He normally doesn't do that to strangers."

Hazel pushed him back and petted him on the head. "Aw, he's so cute!"

Url panted and licked her hand before returning to Eema's side. He lay down on his stomach and put his head down to sleep. The human wiped her face and hands of the slobber. She couldn't help but compare him to a little puppy; a huge, armored, and heavy puppy.

Hazel cleared her throat and faced the two women. "Hi, I'm Hazel. I'm new here."

"Hazel huh?" Eema said, tilting her head to the side then back. "I've never seen anything like you before."

The human laughed and put a hand on the back of her neck. "Yeah, I'm not from around here." She then returned her hand back down to her side.

"My my…" Baylene said, causing Hazel to look up at her. The elder Brachiosaurus lowered her head until she was nearly at eye level with her.

"For one so young and small, you've survived all by yourself? Where is your family?"

Hazel gulped at that statement. On the outside, she kept her composure and did not show any suspicious reactions. However, on the inside, she wanted to smack herself. _"I hate lying…but I don't have much of a choice on this one. They'll never understand if I tell them the truth…"_

"They died when the fireball hit the earth."

Baylene frowned and brought her head back up. "Oh dear, forgive me. I'm so sorry…"

Hazel was about to ask why when Eema beat her to it. "Oh Baylene..." the elder said and looked at Hazel, who was also looking at her for an answer.

"She's the last of her kind."

The human put a hand on her mouth and felt like shedding a tear. "Oh…I'm so sorry."

The Styracosaurus cleared her throat, thus turning all the attention to her again. "The name's Eema," she said. She then gestured to the Ankylosaurus who was sleeping soundly next to her. "And this little guy is Url."

Hazel bowed respectfully then straightened up. "Eema, Url, Baylene, nice to meet you."

"So you're going to be traveling with us?" Eema asked her.

"That's right," Hazel replied. "Had to get permission from the leader to do so."

At that statement, both of the ladies gasped. The human did not show any reaction to that, as she could understand why they would be surprised. It looked like this group was already fed up with Kron.

"That stubborn scoundrel of a leader accepted your invitation!?" Baylene asked in surprise.

"Girl, I'm surprised he didn't kill you on sight! You've got guts fessin' up to Kron!" Eema commented.

"She's a brave one. However," Flia spoke next. "It's Neera we should really be thanking."

Hazel tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Neera? The female Iguanadon that was with him?"

Flia nodded. "Yes. That's Kron's sister."

The human's jaw dropped at that response. "Sister!? But…they're nothing alike!"

"Humph…" Eema grunted at that. "She's nice and all. But don't forget, she's loyal to Kron."

Hazel's eyes widened. She had a sister back in her time and they both had different personalities. Unlike herself, her sister was quiet and shy while she was outgoing and gutsy…most of the time. But she still couldn't believe what she had just heard. How could Neera put up with her brother's ways? Hazel felt thankful that Neera convinced Kron to let her come along, however, because of what Flia had just told her, she felt a little confused and wary of the leader's sister.

"Not to mention Kron keeps pushing the herd onward while we have trouble catching up," Baylene sighed.

"What!?" Hazel retorted. "That's terrible! Why not just tell him to slow down?"

"I tried hun. But he didn't care," Eema shook her head in disappointment.

Hazel scoffed. "That jerk. What kind of a leader does that?"

No one replied to that response. The silence was broken when Flia spoke up.

"Anyway…" Flia started, which knocked Hazel back into reality. "Kron said Hazel could stay as long as she doesn't get in his way or question his authority. Hazel here also told him that she could help me with the scouting; two eyes in the sky is better than one."

Baylene lowered her head again to the human and looked all over her body. "You can fly? But you do not have any wings."

"No, I don't. Although I wish I did. I'll be riding on Flia's back while she's up there," Hazel replied.

"That so? Hope you're not afraid of heights then," Eema chuckled.

Hazel chuckled too. "Don't worry, I'm not. But if I'm getting chased by a predator up there then maybe."

Everyone, including Hazel herself, laughed at that statement. Everyone except Url, since he was sleeping. When Hazel stopped laughing, she noticed that the area was getting darker. The terrain shown with a light brown a while ago, but now, the color was getting darker. She turned around and saw the sun going down the rugged horizon. Hazel was surprised at the amount of time that had passed since she arrived.

Flia turned around and noticed the same thing. She then returned towards the group. "Well we should get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be another hard one."

Eema lays her head on the ground while still looking at them. "Flia, every day is a hard one."

Hazel turned around and flexed her arms out front. She felt and heard her fingers crack as she stretched. This followed with a long yawn, which she covered with a hand after she finished her stretch.

"Yeah it's been a long day for me. I'll hit the sack too."

The human went over to the middle of the group and put her light brown backpack down. Hazel knelt down, untwined the wire (for extra safety) and unzipped the back pocket. From there, she took out a huge forest green sleeping bag and undid the straps that kept it together. She rolled the sleeping bag out next to her and positioned it until it was parallel to the three dinosaurs. Flia, Eema, and Baylene watched in curiosity as she performed this normal act.

"What on earth is that?" Eema asked.

Hazel secured her bag when she said that. She then removed her hat and boots and put them along with her bag next to her. She even removed her hair tie to let her hair fall, which made the prehistoric creatures ever more curious. After doing so, she looked at Eema and set herself down onto her portable sleeping utility.

"Oh this? It's a sleeping bag. It makes sleeping on the ground more comfortable for me."

"Ooh...got another one of those?" Eema winked at her.

Hazel chuckled then shook her head. "Sorry, only got one."

"_And you wouldn't fit either…"_ Hazel thought.

"Hazel darling, what were those things you pulled from yourself?" Baylene wondered. "And I am referring to the ones on your head and legs."

The human stared at the sauropod with a lighthearted expression. Apparently the questions from this time would never stop. "First, that was my hat. It keeps my head away from the sun. The black stuff on my head is my hair, which I usually tie up in a ponytail so that my hair would be out of the way."

"Hair?" Eema wondered. "What's that?"

Hazel chuckled. "It's something we humans have. You guys have scales while we have skin. It's just how we are. And I didn't remove my legs. Those are my boots, which are things I use so that walking would be easier for me."

"Intriguing..." Baylene said softly as she eyed the objects next to the human.

"Wait, you actually remove parts of your body to make yourself comfortable?" Flia blurted out in shock.

The girl rolled her eyes playfully. "No Flia. The stuff I just removed aren't part of my body at all. My hair is part of my body though. So are my feet, arms, legs, and of course my head."

The Pteranodon and the rest of the troupe continued to stare at her in confusion. They wanted to ask more questions about the newcomer, but with night quickly approaching, they felt that it would be better to ask her tomorrow. Today's journey had exhausted them greatly.

The woman was the same way as well. As much as she would like to answer more questions, the day had tired her out. Hazel's mouth opened up wide in a big yawn then receded. Her eyes started to droop and she snuggled into her sleeping bag.

"Well...goodnight ladies," she said as she closed her eyes.

All of them replied to her and told each other the same thing. Flia then proceeded on to Baylene, who had now lay her head and neck down and climbed on her back from the tail. Flia had good balance and did not have a problem making her way to the middle of the sauropod's back. The Pteranodon stretched her wings out and wrapped them around her body. Finally, to make herself more comfortable, she lowered her head down and closed her eyes.

Later that night, Hazel woke up and snuck away from the group with the bag in her hand. The atmosphere was cool and refreshing compared to the day before. Only a few clouds were in the sky and all was quiet, save for the snores from the dinosaurs. She knew better than to venture far, so she only stayed a few feet from them.

After looking around to make sure she was not being watched, she knelt down and took out one box of power bars from the middle pocket. It had thirty wrapped bars and each one represented three meals. Hazel opened the box and took out three silver rectangles. They were only a few inches in length and were as thick as a regular Nature Valley bar. She quietly opened one of them and started eating. Each bar was of a different flavor and the one she was eating had peanut butter, chocolate, and caramel. Hazel wanted to savor each bite, but she knew that staying out in the open much longer would attract predators. After finishing the first one, she moved onto the next two. The second had strawberry cream while the third had berries in it. Hazel finished the bars and stashed the wrappers into the small pocket in the front. After zipping it up, she unzipped her bag and took out the first water bottle. The bottle, which she bought from a Best Buy store along with three others before she arrived at Prehistoric Park, was size extra-large. This was perfect for hiking or spending time out in a desert. Hazel drank a few gulps and then returned it into the bag after closing it.

All of the rations she had would allow her to survive in conditions like this for a few weeks. However, with the luxury she had, she knew she had to keep this a secret from her friends. Hazel frowned at this and felt guilty.

"_I would share them my rations, but I only have enough for myself. Even if I do give them some, they won't be enough for them. That and it most likely wouldn't be good for them. If I do give them some of my rations, they would be dependent on me for energy. I hate to do this, but I'll have to keep my rations a secret."_

Hazel sighed and made her way back to the group. After preparing herself for more sleep, she took out the phone that Nigel gave her from her shorts pocket. She pressed the power button at the top and the screen brightened up. Thankfully, the phone was on silent and no sound came out. While the main menu loaded, Hazel put a hand in her ear and felt around for the communicator. Hazel had to keep it on as it would allow her to listen for any dinosaur that would try and talk to her in the night. It did not hurt while she wore it in her sleep as Nigel had made sure it wouldn't. After confirming that it was there, a picture of herself posing next to Nigel at the entrance to the park showed on the screen. Hazel smiled and pressed the text message option at the bottom of the screen. On the left of the app was the phone book app while the right had the recent calls app. This was built to be like a smartphone and Hazel loved it. When the text message screen popped up, showing a blank white screen with a message box at the bottom, Hazel typed away at the keyboard at the bottom.

**Hazel**: Spending the night in a desert, 65 million years ago.

**Nigel**: Are you alright? It's good to hear from you. Did you find any dinosaurs?

**Hazel**: Yes. Even better, it's a herd.

**Nigel**: Wonderful! What dinosaurs are in the herd?

**Hazel**: All sorts. From what I've observed, there are: Iguanadons, Parasaurolophus, Microceratops, Struthiomimus, Styrachosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, an Ankylosaurus, a Pteranodon, Stygimolych, and a single Brachiosaurus. Apparently, this herd has a hierarchy too.

**Nigel**: A herd with diversity! Amazing! These animals are from different regions too! But how can there be a Brachiosaurus? They should have died out in the early Cretaceous.

**Hazel**: Well, this one survived, and is the last of her kind. Baylene is a tough girl :)

**Nigel**: Baylene? You named them?

**Hazel**: No. They have names. The communicator you gave me works.

**Nigel**: You spoke to them!?

**Hazel**: Yes. I even joined the herd too. Wasn't easy. Their leader is a prick.

**Nigel**: Oh my goodness! This discovery is much more mind-boggling than my discovery about the meteors!

**Hazel**: :)

**Nigel**: So you plan on rescuing this herd?

**Hazel**: Yes, but it's going to take me a while.

**Nigel**: Why?

**Hazel**: This herd is traveling to their breeding grounds. Some of them know that the meteor destroyed everything in its path, but others refuse to believe that their home was destroyed. I would try to tell their leader Kron to stop and come with me, but he would kill me if I did.

**Nigel**: Well, he sounds like a charming bloke. So what's your plan?

**Hazel**: I'm going to travel with them. I'm going to make sure they make it there safely.

**Nigel**: What!? But a number of them will not make it!

**Hazel**: I know that. But I have a plan. If the Nesting Grounds survived, then I will leave them alone for a while and then return to bring them back just before the destined meteor hits. If not, I'll bring the herd back to the park. Either way, these dinosaurs will survive.

**Nigel**: Sound plan. But why not bring them back now?

**Hazel**: The Nesting Grounds is their home. They would need time to settle first. It's probably their only home too, considering the effects of the fireball.

**Nigel**: Fireball?

**Hazel**: Er...meteor. Their terminology is kinda sinking in right now.

**Nigel**: All right. I'll follow with your plan. How long will you be gone?

**Hazel**: I don't know. Days, perhaps a week or two. Perhaps a little shorter if Kron's that stubborn.

**Nigel**: Okay. Well get some rest. You've got a big day of traveling tomorrow.

**Hazel**: Thanks. And scouting

**Nigel**: Scouting!?

**Hazel**: I made a new friend. Her name's Flia and she's a Pteranodon. She serves as the herd's eye in the sky. I'm her new scouting assistant.

**Nigel**: Hazel, you never cease to amaze me.

**Nigel**: Sleep well and good luck

**Hazel**: Thanks and goodnight

Hazel closed the message app and pressed the power button at the top. The screen on the phone turned off and all was dark again. Hazel returned the phone back into her shorts pocket and slipped into her sleeping bag. Her eyes drooped and her vision became blurry. The girl allowed the darkness to cloud her vision and slipped into the darkness of sleep. The human needed this rest because the near future would bring harsh trials.

_And there you go, chapter 3. I was going to make it longer, but I decided to cut it there because I'm saving a huge event for the next chapter. Well, Hazel had a fantastic first day on her solo mission. Who knows what will happen in the next few days. Find out next time on Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure._


	4. Aladar

_All right guys. Here's Chapter 4 of Hazel's Adventure. I have not forgotten about Nigel and the gang back in Prehistoric Park. Hang tight, they'll pop up soon. So, without further ado, sit back and enjoy the chapter._

It had been a few days since Hazel had joined the herd. By now, she was getting used to how things ran amongst them. She was even putting up with Kron's leadership, even though she knew that tolerance would not last long. It was her second day as a scout and she had already gotten used to the job. She was even at the point where she could say it was a daily routine for her. The routine was simple: get up early, ride with Flia, look around for any signs of danger or lifesavers, rest up for a couple of hours, repeat the process, then report back to Kron.

Today was like any other day in this lifeless plain. The afternoon was slightly cooler than last time due to the gusts of wind that were blowing. That and night was coming so the temperatures were starting to drop, much to the scouts' relief. Hazel and Flia flew over more plateaus, rock formations, and flat terrain. So far, there weren't any major events to report about, except for the usual pack of Velociraptors that trailed the herd. This day, however, was different.

Hazel was investigating the flat plain to the left when Flia suddenly spoke up. "Hazel, do you see what's up ahead?"

The human faced forward and stared at the horizon. She was wearing the sports goggles she used back when she helped Nigel find more prehistoric grass samples for Martha the mammoth some time ago. Her goggles lens was clear and the shape of the goggles was small and angled. These goggles were multipurpose as they could be used in swimming, snowy terrain, and in deserts. Hazel squinted, trying to not focus on the sun too much. When she did, she saw that just a few miles ahead, the rocky terrain ended and a sea of sand continued onward. Hazel stopped squinting and moaned.

"Don't tell me…we're going to cross that."

"We are. If you thought this wasteland was hard, then the desert will be much worse," Flia replied.

Hazel shook her head in defeat. Flia angled her body to the right and circled around in the opposite direction. Her passenger had to wrap her feet along the pterosaur's legs and she had to grip her hold on her arms tightly when they turned. Hazel worried that her grips bothered Flia, but in reality, they didn't bother her.

After they turned, Hazel looked around her surroundings. She did not really pay attention to the fact that the landscape contained a lot of rocky hills.

"I wanted to give you an idea on what we would be facing tomorrow," Flia explained. "Since it's a wide open desert and there aren't a lot of places for predators to hide, we don't really have to scout as much."

"Really?" Hazel said with a sigh of relief. "Oh good…which means more time to rest."

Flia turned her head to the side and looked at Hazel. "Rest? You're not the one flying around in the air."

"I know. But this scouting job was a lot more tedious than I expected. My eyes are starting to hurt…"

The Pteranodon let out a small chuckle. "Just relax. We'll rest up when we get back to the herd."

Hazel did not reply to that and just kept staring up front. Flia did not face forward, but rather kept her gaze on the human. The human noticed that Flia was not paying attention to what's up ahead and stared at the large eye. After a few moments, a sense of confusion took over Hazel.

"What?" Hazel arched an eyebrow. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"What are those things on your body?" Flia curiously asked. "And on your face?"

"Oh these?" the human looked down at her clothes, touched her blue baseball cap, then back at the Pteranodon.

"_Oh dear…how do I say this?"_ Hazel thought nervously.

"Um, they're my clothes. They uh...protect my skin. It's a second layer to put it simply."

"Like armor?" Flia wondered.

"Yes," she said with a nod. "Kind of like armor. They're also like my second skin. You already know what the thing on my head is. As for the object on my eyes, it helps prevent any sand or gusts of wind from ruining my vision. ...I hope I didn't confuse you there."

Flia shook her head slightly, considering she was looking at Hazel at the same time. "No no no. I understand. They're just...well...um..."

Hazel finished her sentence. "Foreign?"

"Yes, exactly. I hope I did not say anything wrong," Flia frowned.

The girl waved her hand in a cheerful motion. "Not at all. Curiosity isn't a bad thing."

"And the thing on your back. Is that armor too?" the female flyer added.

Hazel thought for a moment and replied the best she could. "Um...yes it can be. Mostly it's something I use to carry things multiple things. Like how I used it a couple days ago when I joined the herd."

Flia blinked and faced forward again, focusing on the flight back to the herd. "Oh…interesting. I wish I had one of those."

The human mentally laughed at that. _"Yeah that's not going to work."_

Hazel cleared her throat. "Let's get to the back of the herd and check up on our friends. And maybe report to Kron if we see him along the way."

"Agreed," Flia replied to that.

It did not take very long before they were flying over the herd. The herd was situated in a rocky hilled patch, and perhaps the only one in that part of the wasteland. The outcrop resembled a fortress that looked on at the desert. While Flia kept flying forward, Hazel looked below and tried to spot the purple colored Iguanadon. At the ground, the various herbivores were getting situated in finding a place to sleep for the night. Hazel watched as the dinosaurs walked around until they found a good place to sleep. She also witnessed some of them pushing their comrades away from their spot or from getting in their way. Hazel felt sorry for them, but it was a harsh environment after all. Among the large group of dinosaurs, the leader was nowhere to be found.

"I can't find Kron anywhere," Hazel said after wiping a drop of sweat from her forehead.

"There's no need," Flia told her while still flying forward. "He's right up ahead."

The nineteen year old perked her head to the side and saw that Kron, Bruton, and Neera were standing together nearby their friends in the back. By now, they were about a hundred feet away from them. They also noticed Baylene's head down close to her legs and Eema hiding behind one of them. Hazel wondered on why the leader and his associates were there. At the same time, she hoped that their friends did not cause any trouble.

"Hm…" Flia sounded with optimism. "It appears we have a newcomer."

Hazel stopped staring at the threesome and saw what Flia spoke of. Facing the three dinosaurs was another Iguanadon. Unlike the others, this one had a blue-green colored skin and was slightly slimmer than the other males. When they got a little closer, they saw the leader and his troupe walk off from the mini-herd. They also saw Neera look back and converse with the newcomer before following her brother.

"Well at least I'm not the only newbie here anymore," Hazel commented.

Flia smiled at that remark and did not reply to that. Instead, she gave her a warning. "I'm going down there. Hang on!"

On command, the human gripped her hold on the pterosaur tightly and the flyer descended into a steep slope. Hazel let out a yelp when she did that and shut her eyes tight. She had been to many roller coaster rides before, but this one beat them all. Hazel kept her head close to Flia's crest, ignoring the hard nudge on her head.

Flia let out a screech and alerted the dinosaurs below. All of them looked up and saw the Pteranodon descend. When she was a few feet from the ground, Flia slowed her descent and leaned back. She flapped her wings back and landed on the ground on her limbs. When she did, Hazel quickly let go of her partner, placed her goggles into her bag, and turned her back on her. The human was covered perfectly by the size of the pterosaur. Hazel took this time to stretch her arms and legs before properly introducing herself.

"Flia!" Eema called to her to her left. "You're just in time. Look who we bumped into!"

"I know," she replied then stared up at the Iguanadon. "I saw Kron speak with you and storm off. I take it the induction went well?"

The traveler was about to speak when a furry creature popped its tiny head up from his neck. This one was wrinkled and had white and brown fur with a shine to it. If Flia did not know that he was an elder, then the voice would. The tone sounded gruff, like Eema's, and had a deep rumble to it.

"Induction? If you mean criticizing his leadership skills and then storming off, then yes. It went well," he replied.

Flia shrieked and backed up a step. Hazel was flexing her arms when suddenly, the force from her partner caused her to fall forward. She did not scream nor give away her position. Hazel was not mad, but her face was now covered in dust. She wiped the dirt off and stood back up, doing the same thing on her clothes.

"Goodness, I didn't see you there."

At that moment, more furry creatures peered from the back. Unlike the first one, these creatures seemed younger and had a lot of differences. One of them had yellow fur and looked scrawny. Another looked just like the elder, only it was a slender female. The last one was a younger female and looked just like the third, except she had a little more brown fur than white.

While Flia was processing this new surprise, Hazel walked out from behind her and looked up at them. She was a little shy when she saw the traveler. But when she saw the riders on his back, she nearly fell over. Hazel's eyes widened as she stared at the lemurs. The Iguanadon backed up a little when he saw her and was mildly shocked. The lemurs had the same reaction and all of them, including their dinosaur friend, looked at the creature in wonder. The tiny primates were amazed by the sight; here stood a creature that looked a little like them, only different. She stood on two legs, only had black hair on her head, had no tail, had different facial features, and was taller than them.

Hazel put her hands on her hips. "So, you guys are the new additions to the herd huh?"

"Um yeah," the blue-green Iguanadon bowed his head slightly. "My name's Aladar and this is my family."

The human bowed her head once as well. "Hi. Name's Hazel. And this is Flia," she said, gesturing to the Pteranodon who stood vigil next to her.

When she said that, the adult female lemur hopped down from Aladar's back. She climbed down from his forearm and then made her way towards the human. This one came to her in small hops at first and then came to a stop in front of her.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but what are you?" the adult asked.

"Yeah, you look like us, except not," the yellow lemur, who was leaning at the front portion of Aladar's neck, added.

Hazel chuckled a little and replied. "I knew it was coming to that. I'm a human. And as you have noticed, I'm not from around here. Before you say 'I've never seen your kind before', well that's hard to explain but we'll get to that later."

In the back of her mind, Hazel was still in pure utter shock. She was dumbfounded to see lemurs in this time. Hazel had done her homework about evolution back in high school and she knew that they did not appear on this earth until millions of years from then. The girl could not believe what she was seeing. She's speaking to a group of lemurs that were not supposed to have evolved until much later and an Iguanadon that was raised by them.

"_Whoa…this is totally mind-boggling. These guys aren't supposed to be here at all! How did they get here? Are they yet to be discovered by scientists and are still lying in the ground in the present? Does this disrupt what we all know about evolution? I'd better keep my cool…but still, this time just brings in new surprises by the day!"_ Hazel thought in amazement. _"But I swear…if I find out that this Iguanadon can swing on vines and climb trees, then I'm going to have a heart attack!"_

"My name is Plio," the lemur introduced herself. She then gestured to the lemurs still on Aladar's back respectively. "Over there is my father Yar, my brother Zini, and my daughter, Suri." The lemurs waved their hands hello and Hazel did the same.

"And I take it you are a new member like us?" Plio added.

The human widened her eyes at the question. How did she know that? "Yes, that's right. I joined the herd some time ago."

At that statement, the young lemur known as Suri hopped down from Aladar's back and joined her mother. Suri was nearly half the size of Plio and just as cute. To Hazel, she looked to be about the size of a Chihuahua.

"Did you lose your home like we did?" Suri inquired.

Hazel nodded, but in her mind, she wanted to slap herself. This was the fourth time she had to lie and she was getting sick of it. She wanted to tell them the truth, but they would not understand if she did tell them.

"Yeah. My home was destroyed."

Aladar walked forward and stood just about a few feet from her. The newcomer lowered his head until they were at the same level. He did not smile, but his expression showed sympathy.

"Looks like we're pretty much in the same page."

"Pretty much," she replied. "I've just heard about the Nesting Grounds from these guys and it sounds like paradise."

Flia cleared her throat and stepped forward. All the dinosaurs, lemurs, and human turned her attention to her and waited for whatever she was about to say.

"Anyway, since Kron did a horrid –"

"And rude," the human informed all of them.

"And rude job of welcoming you, I'm going to do it the PROPER way. Welcome to the herd." Except for Eema, who was chuckling at the action, stared at her in silence.

"You'll love these girls. They can be funny at times," she gestured to Aladar and the lemurs. They looked at her curiously for a minute before turning back to them.

"I heard that," the human said, the Styracosaurus quieting down. "And thank you for the complement."

After saying that, Flia felt a small gust of wind from behind her. She unfolded her wings and flapped twice. The flaps of wind startled the group and caused them to step back. Flia launched into the air and flew away to the east. Hazel, who had her arm up to cover the dust that got to her face, put it down and watched in confusion as her partner flew away.

"You're going without me!?" she screamed at her.

"The both of us don't really need to speak to Kron!" the Pteranodon hollered back. "I'll just tell him you're keeping an eye on things back here!"

"Okay!" Hazel answered back.

Aladar and the lemurs turned to Eema. They were new there and they did not know what was going on. She was about to explain when Baylene lowered her head to them and beat her to it.

"Hazel and Flia serve as the scouts in the air. Every day, they must report to the leader and inform him of anything they spot."

The blue-green Iguanadon looks at Baylene and then at Hazel. "Oh. But it doesn't look like Hazel can fly."

The human overheard the comment and turned to face him. She pointed a finger halfway up and also put a hand on her hip. Hazel knew he was going to ask something like that and was ready for it. Although, she was getting a little tired of those questions. But she was polite girl.

"You're right. I can't. I always hitch a ride on Flia."

Zini, who was still on Aladar's back, hopped once in excitement. "Ooh! Awesome! Think we can do that too!?"

Hazel let out a small giggle before replying. "Sure. Flia wouldn't mind."

Later that night, everyone had settled down and got ready for bed. Like what happened before, Hazel was asked questions about her sleeping bag and other questions that she was asked before. Hazel didn't know how much longer she could take these questions. Anyway, her sleeping bag was situated in front of the sauropod's neck, which seemed like it provided some sort of protection. Aladar was watching the lemurs sleep and the elder dinosaurs (and Url) were already sound asleep.

Hazel was still awake and decided to have a chat with Aladar. He was on his belly and his front arms were crossed over each other. The lemurs were huddled together on Baylene's tail. Yar was sleeping a little further from Plio and Suri, who were holding on to each other in their sleep. She got up from her sleeping bag and sat next to Aladar. Her appearance startled the Iguanadon slightly.

"Oh, it's you Hazel. I didn't see you there," Aladar said.

"Sorry. I kind of do that to others," Hazel laughed nervously.

"It's fine," he reassured her.

The girl sighed and looked at him. "I'm sorry if this sounds offensive in any way. I'm just curious. But, how did you get adopted by lemurs?"

Aladar closed his eyes and smirked. "Well if you must know, Plio, Yar, and Zini found me when I was just an egg. They told me something carried me over to their island. How I got there, I had no idea. Plio wanted to take me in, but Yar was pretty hesitant."

Hazel chuckled. "But he agreed anyway."

"He did," he replied and let out a grieving sigh. "That island and everyone on it was all I ever knew. I thought I was the only one of my kind…until today that is."

"And now you're not really alone anymore," Hazel told him.

"Yeah," Aladar agreed. "I miss everyone though…"

Hazel brought her arm up and stroked his arm. Aladar looked down at her and stared. The human gave him a reassuring smile and continued to stroke him gently. The Iguanadon closed his eyes and allowed her to continue the strokes.

"Everything will be okay," she told him.

The girl stopped stroking and put her hand down. "One thing still bugs me though…"

Aladar opened his eyes and turned at her. "Hm?"

"Did they teach you to climb on trees and swing on vines?"

Aladar and Hazel watched each other for a few moments. Afterwards, the dinosaur broke out into soft chuckles. Hazel lifted an eyebrow up and watched him in confusion. She had half a mind to ask him if she said something wrong. Aladar continued to snicker and then calmed down.

"No, I don't," he lifted his right paw up to her face. "Do these look like they could grasp anything?"

"Um…no…I just…I was just curious is all," Hazel stammered.

"Nah it's okay. There's nothing wrong with being curious," he told her after putting his paw down.

"Oh…okay," she replied.

They both laughed and talked a little longer. However, the sun was already down and the temperatures were already cool. Hazel greeted Aladar good night and snuggled into her sleeping bag. The Iguanadon told her likewise and went to bed as well. Hazel brought the blanket part up to her neck and crouched inside the sleeping bag. The days may be hot, but the nights felt a little unbearable.

Later that night, Hazel awoke and performed the same routine as the nights before. Like before, this night was cool and the wind blew gently. She walked away from the group, ate and drank her rations, and then turned her cell phone on. Hazel walked back to the group and quietly sat down on the sleeping bag. She also made sure that the phone was on silent. It had been a couple of days since she contacted Nigel and she felt bad about it. Hazel had been too tired the past couple of days to speak to him and she had to make up for it tonight. The screen showed the picture of her and Nigel and Hazel pressed on the message app. When the message box appeared, she started typing away.

"_Man, Nigel is going to flip when he hears about this…"_

**Hazel**: Hi.

**Nigel**: Hello Hazel. Anything new happen?

**Hazel**: We've got a few more additions to the herd; an Iguanadon and his family.

**Nigel**: More Iguanadons?

**Hazel**: No. Apparently, this Iguanadon was raised by a group of lemurs.

**Nigel**: Wait, what!? Raised by lemurs?

**Hazel**: *laughs* Yes, but he's still a dino. He's not swinging on trees or anything.

**Nigel**: Okay good... XD

**Nigel**: But lemurs!? They don't appear for another few million years!

**Hazel**: I know right!? It's like this time brings in more surprises by the day.

**Hazel**: I'm still sticking with my plan. When this migration is over, I plan to bring the entire herd home, including the lemurs. Speaking of lemurs, where would they stay?

**Nigel**: I can have Bob and the others start working on a primate house. It would take some time but they'll get the job done. For now, I think they would have to stay in the insect house. The Arthopleura is a vegetarian so they'll be fine.

**Hazel**: Okay. But what about the Iguanadon? He's like a son, well, brother to one of them. We should let them out of that house daily.

**Nigel**: We'll do that too. They may even have a fun time meeting the other residents here. Next to birds and bugs, I'm also fond of lemurs.

**Hazel**: Okay then. Well, I'd better get to bed. It's going to be another harsh day of traveling tomorrow. This time, we're crossing an open desert, no mountain ridges anywhere.

**Nigel**: Alright. Well goodnight and good luck tomorrow.

**Hazel**: Thank you and goodnight.

Hazel closed the app and pressed the power button on top. The screen became black and all was in shady darkness. Hazel put the phone back into her pocket and snuggled into her sleeping bag. She savored the warmth inside and quickly fell asleep.

_And there you go. Chapter 4. Hazel finally met Aladar and his family. Things are about to get interesting for Hazel and for Nigel too. Don't fret about Nigel not having a major part in this story. He will appear soon and will have his role played. I have not forgotten about him. Anyway, stay tuned for Chapter 5!_


	5. Desert Preparations

_Hello, this is Darksage95. I'm actually having a lot of fun developing this story. So much fun that I'm developing a soundtrack to go along with this. I'm going to include music from Disney's Dinosaur and Prehistoric Park (I don't own any of them) for the score, but I'm still missing a few songs. I am also developing a vocal soundtrack for the story, however, I'm having some trouble thinking of a theme song for Hazel. I'm going to start including songs into each chapter. Please let me know what songs I should add. Anyway, enjoy!_

**Soundtrack: Aladar and Neera by James Newton Howard/Across the Desert (first part)**

Hazel woke up to the sound of a loud whimper. She sat up and looked to her right to see what was wrong; her hand was on the short sword resting just beside her head. The human looked to her right and saw Url squirming in his sleep. The tiny Ankylosaur had been sleeping on his back and his tiny legs were flailing in the air. Hazel wondered if that sleeping position bothered the armored creature, but after witnessing him calm down and relax, she did not worry anymore. Url uttered more quiet snores and his tongue stuck out a little. Hazel snickered softly at the sight.

"_He must have been dreaming. Maybe he was running in an open field or chasing something?"_ Hazel thought and smiled.

She then looked up at the sky and around the area. The sky was a mixture of light red and orange, a sign that it was dawn. The temperature was a little warmer than the night before, but she knew that it would get even hotter. Hazel looked back at her friends and saw that they were still asleep. The dinosaurs were huddled together and the lemurs slept on the large sauropod. Like before, Flia slept upright and wings wrapped on top of Baylene. Except for Eema, Flia, and Baylene, they all snored. Especially the old lemur named Yar, whom she could clearly hear.

Hazel silently slid out of her sleeping bag and went over to the bottom. The teen folded in half and then rolled it up. After doing so, she pulled the two straps over the thing and secured it. She also grabbed the dagger next to it and strapped it onto her shorts belt and put on her sunscreen for the trip ahead. When she put it away into her bag, she stared out into the horizon. Other than seeing the other dinosaurs stirring in their sleep, Hazel saw that the sun was about three-fourths of the way up. No one was awake and she doubted that even Kron would be at this time…unless he was an early riser like she was.

Hazel took out her mini brush from the front pocket and fixed her hair up in a ponytail before walking around. She always did this every morning in Prehistoric Park. It was a good way to wake up even more and to get some exercise in. She also did this because she loved to walk around and see the park's residents. Hazel left her bag next to the dinosaurs and left for the main part of the herd. She took care in not getting too near to any of the sleeping dinosaurs and not making a sound in her steps. Even though these were all herbivores, Hazel knew that a human like herself might get hurt if she did something wrong. She was even more cautious when she walked past the herd's ceratopsians, well, except for the Microceratops, but she still had to watch her step.

The girl walked around the herd for what felt like twenty minutes. She did not venture too far from the herd, as doing so would attract the Velociraptors that always lurked around. Hazel assumed that they were also asleep at this time, but she did not want to take any chances. Since the sun was not fully up yet, Hazel traveled over to the raised outcrop that overlooked the sleeping herd and sat down at the top. She brought her knees close and wrapped her arms around them. Hazel sat there for about ten minutes, waiting for the herd to slowly wake up. The view was not much, but she could see the entire herd and the desert in the distance. Hazel sighed, knowing that they would be crossing that place very soon. Her trance was broken when she heard the sound of soft footfalls from behind her.

"I see I'm not the only one that wakes up early," a calming voice said.

Hazel looked to her right and saw Neera approach her. To her left were two juvenile Iguanadons. Flia told her about Neera earlier, saying that she watches over the children in the herd. These two were the ones that always accompanied her. They looked similar to each other, except one had a darker skin tone and was slightly larger than the other one, who had a little skin color. Hazel assumed them to be twins as they always traveled together.

"Oh. Good morning Neera. And kids," Hazel greeted them.

At that statement, the dinosaur children whimpered and backed up a few steps. Hazel got up and walked a few feet over. She knelt down to one knee and outstretched a hand to them. When she did, the children backed up and hid behind Neera's front legs.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you," Hazel told them.

The Iguanadons peeked their heads out and stared at her. They saw this strange creature smile and gesture a limb out. The one with the dark skin tilted his head to the side and let out a curious cry.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," she said.

Neera then lowered her head and watched both of them. She chuckled at their nervousness and curiosity and gestured her head towards her.

"Don't worry. She's a friend," Neera reassured them.

They perked their heads up at that statement. The one with the dark skin, who was presumably the older one, stepped out from behind Neera and slowly walked up to Hazel. He sniffed at her hand and even licked her fingers. Hazel giggled and then gently stroked his head. Like the other dinosaurs, his skin felt like leather and she could feel the tiny scales. He cried softly, closed his eyes, and smiled as the human petted him. The younger brother watched this and decided to get in on the action. He walked towards Hazel and, like before, she stroked his head with her other hand. They both savored the gesture and Hazel enjoyed doing it.

"I see you're fond of kids," Neera told her.

Hazel stopped stroking them and folded her hands on her raised knee. The children opened their eyes and walked over to Hazel's left. They lay down on their bellies and watched the two adults talk.

"Yeah," Hazel nodded. "I just think they're cute."

The human swallowed and replied again. "So, where are their parents?"

Neera frowned and stared at the children, who were playfully nudging each other with their heads. "They…were taken…by two Carnotaurs."

"Oh…" Hazel looked down. She knew of Carnotaurus, Carnotaurs for plural. They were no Tyrannosaurus, but they were still just as dangerous. She also knew that they were distinguished by the two horns that jut out from above their eyes. "I see…they're orphans."

"Yes…"

"Yet they look up to you like their mother," Hazel told her.

Neera smiled. "That they do."

Hazel watched them play with each other before looking back at Neera again. She remembered something that she neglected to tell her due to her scouting job and being so tired every day.

"Um…thank you by the way. For convincing Kron to let me join the herd."

The female Iguanadon bowed her head once. "You're welcome. Anyone's welcome to join the herd. Well…except for carnivores that is."

They both chuckled at that.

"You're a good scout," she also commented.

"Thanks," Hazel grinned at that.

Right when she said that, the members of the herd started to stir. The dinosaurs yawned and slowly got up. Some of them were late starters and were lying down for a few minutes of rest. Both human and Iguanadons watched as the members of the herd proceeded up to the front of the natural fortress. Hazel and the child Iguanadons got up and looked at Neera. The juveniles made their way to her and stayed close.

"I'd better go find Flia and wake her up," Hazel told her. "It was nice talking to you Neera."

"Same to you…Hazel," she replied.

Hazel widened her eyes when she heard her name. Here stood the leader's sister, who was kinder, caring, and more respectful towards others, no matter the species. Neera was nothing like the ruthless Kron. The human nodded and walked past her.

It took only a few minutes to walk through the ledge and get to her friends. When she arrived, they were all still sound asleep. Hazel quietly walked around the sleeping body of Baylene and tiptoed past Aladar. She knelt down, quietly prepared her bag and made sure that everything was packed before hoisting it over her shoulders. Hazel stood back up and stared at Baylene's back. The girl noticed that her scouting partner was not sleeping on her. She couldn't help but squint her eyes and wonder.

"_Huh…maybe she got up early?"_ Hazel wondered. She closed her eyes and shrugged her shoulders.

As she proceeded to walk away to the front of the herd, Hazel noticed something small and furry hop in the opposite direction out of the corner of her eye. She could have sworn that the creature had yellow fur. Hazel turned around again and saw the lemur known as Zini hop over towards the back group. Curious as to why Zini would be heading back there, Hazel followed.

Hazel quietly ran over there and hid behind Eema. She knelt down and watched the lemur climb onto Aladar's snout from where she was. Then she heard Zini talk to him, but no answer came from the snoring Iguanadon. Hazel figured that the male lemur was trying to wake his friend up. His words were hard to make out at first until he raised his voice.

"Hey! Hello!? Anybody in there!?" he hollered after propping his nephew's eye open.

Aladar suddenly jolted awake and stood up with Zini dangling from his head. Hazel put a hand over her mouth and laughed at the sight.

"Zini, what are you doing?" Aladar mumbled.

"I believe you left a wake-up call since the dawn of time…" Zini replied. He then tugged at Aladar's nostrils earnestly, waking him up again. "Come on! Move it!"

Aladar let out a yawn and stood up. "What's the hurry?"

"I don't know. Something's up. The herd's gathering without us. Let's check it out," he said after climbing over to the back of his friend's head.

When they left their sleeping area to join the herd, Hazel stood up and hurried over to them. She walked next to Aladar on his right and greeted them.

"Morning boys," she looked up to her right and greeted.

Both Aladar stopped and looked from side to side, looking for the source. Hazel rolled her eyes and poked Aladar on his arm. The dinosaur reacted to it by lifting his left arm up and looked down in the general direction. Zini did the same and both saw Hazel with her arms folded over her chest.

"Oh, morning Hazel," Aladar greeted. "What's the rush?"

Hazel shrugged her shoulders, showing them the same confusion. "I'm not sure. Judging from the few days I've spent with the herd, they usually wake up a little later than this time. My guess is Kron is pushing for a head start for the trek across the desert."

Zini was about to reply to that when a harsh and commanding voice sounded off to their left. All three of them looked over there and saw Bruton standing over a sleepy male Iguanadon.

"Rise and shine!" he yelled. "Kron says everybody goes." The herd member slowly got up and let out a yawn. Bruton nudged him up hard and even moved him to the side a little.

"Come on get up. On your feet!"

"Huh. The charm doesn't stop around here," Zini commented.

Hazel widened her eyes at that and looked at him in alert. "Zini!"

Apparently, Bruton overheard that and looked at them. "You say something?" he asked, letting out a snort.

Aladar and Hazel shook their heads no. Zini on the other hand, hid himself from view.

"Uh no. No sir."

"We didn't say anything!" Hazel added to that, lifting her arms up halfway as a way of telling him to calm down.

The large and hefty lieutenant walked over to them until they were parallel to each other. Bruton shot glares at both Aladar and Zini. Hazel trembled at how close he was and put her hand on the short blade.

"Unless you got a death wish, you and that little parasite better get moving!" Bruton yelled, causing them to move on past him. He then looked down and shot glares at the human.

"And you!" he spat at her. Hazel breathed in a sharp breath and backed up a step. "Get to the front with the birdbrain!"

Hazel let her sword go and stood straight like a soldier. She then saluted him, giving him her undivided attention. "Yes sir!" she told him before running up to join Aladar and Zini. Bruton shook his head and continued on.

"Sheesh, is that guy ugly or what?" Zini said, pointing at Bruton with his thumb for a second.

Hazel caught up to Aladar and walked alongside him. "Well, he's being Mr. Sunshine today…" she sarcastically said.

"_Honestly, I feel like I'm in boot camp…"_ she moaned to herself.

Just then, Zini sees something that interested him, and with luck, Aladar.

"Hey hey hey…there's your girlfriend," the lemur said, pointing to Neera up ahead. He then let out a meow.

Aladar and Hazel looked around and tried to find what Zini was referring to. Obviously, Hazel did not know what was going on so she was more confused than the Iguanadon next to her.

"What are you talking about?" Aladar asked Zini.

"You know what I'm talking about…" the lemur lifted the dinosaur's left eye ridge and gestured to the female up front. "Neera."

At that statement, all three of them watched as Neera walked up to the front with the twin juvenile Iguanadons. Hazel saw her then looked back at the two boys, realizing that Zini was trying to play the matchmaker with his friend.

"Scaly skin, yellow eyes, big ankles!" Zini described her as if he had a crush on her too and waved his hand doing so.

"Yeah, I sure made an impression on her," Aladar said with a snort.

"_Impression?"_ the human wondered at that. _"I suppose this isn't a love at first sight deal?"_

"What you need is a little help from the love monkey…" Zini said, referring to himself with a hand on his chest.

"The love monkey?" the other two turned their heads at him and said in unision.

"Zini…what on earth are you -?" Hazel asked him but was then interrupted by him calling out in a series of whoops, cheers, and barks.

"Ow baby!"

Hazel froze and her mouth fell open. When Neera was about to look behind to see who was doing that, the human quickly ran behind Aladar and hid behind one of his legs. She just had a nice small talk conversation with Neera earlier and she did not want that friendly relationship to be ruined by being spotted with the Iguanadon who "intentionally" attracted her attention. At least, just for this moment. Hazel face palmed her forehead and groaned.

"You idiot!" she yelled in a whisper after he finished with his calls. "You're getting the wrong type of attention!"

Aladar laughed nervously and grinned in embarrassment. His 'new' crush stared at him with disapproval and shook her head. She then leaned down closer to the kids next to her and gestured towards Aladar.

"That children is what's known as a 'Jerkosaurus'," she told them before they all walked off.

"And with that, the ice is broken," Zini said.

Aladar felt like shaking him off for that. Hazel ran up to the front with her friends and stood next to the dinosaur. She then put her hands on her hips and gave Zini an annoyed look.

"_More like reduced his chances of getting her as a girlfriend,"_ Hazel thought before getting the lemur's attention.

"Was that really necessary?" she asked Zini.

The lemur piped his head up and looked down at Hazel. Aladar kept his gaze on Neera and thought about apologizing to her later. He did not pay attention to the two mammals in conversation…er…at least Hazel telling Zini off.

"Hey they don't call me the 'Professor of Love' for nothing," Zini bragged to her. "This sort of stuff is my expertise."

Hazel nodded and folded her arms again. "Uh huh…right Love Guru. If you're an expert, then where's your PhD?"

Zini scratched his head at that and looked at her in confusion. "My what now?"

Right when Hazel was about to reply to that, Kron and Bruton bellowed just over the hill. All of the dinosaurs hurried over there and gathered in front. Hazel watched them run on over and saw the boys follow them. She was about to join them when she heard a familiar screech off to her left. Hazel looked over there and saw Flia calling to her from one of the rocky ledges. The human rushed to her and climbed the small hill. She had some trouble at first because of how steep it was, but soon, she was standing next to Flia on her right.

Up ahead, just by about ten feet, the entire herd gathered up front. They were situated at the very back on the ledge and overlooking the entire herd. Hazel looked to her right and saw Aladar, Eema, and the hulking form of Baylene a few ways off. She then switched her attention to the front and saw Kron speaking to Bruton. After whispering something to him, the leader stood up front and faced the horizon.

"If this is your first crossing, listen up!" Bruton announced.

Hazel looked at Flia, who was still staring at Bruton, and then back at the lieutenant. Whatever he was going to say involved her too.

"There is no water until we reach the other side. And you better keep up 'cause if a predator catches you, you're on your own. Move out!"

With that said, Bruton let out a bellow, signaling the herd to start moving. Kron walked ahead and the herd started to follow him. Hazel looked at Flia and the Pteranodon did the same. Flia stared at her friend, who showed a hint of fear and apprehension.

"Are you ready?" she asked the human.

Hazel took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She nodded and the Pteranodon turned her back to her. Flia spread her wings apart, signaling Hazel to climb aboard. Hazel put her bag down and unzipped the left side pocket. There, she took out the goggles she had stashed away earlier and put them on. The human put her bag back on, supported herself up by putting her arms around the creature's neck, and lifting herself up from her feet. When she was secured, Flia faced the horizon and jumped. The wind was blowing from behind her and she used it to gain altitude. She flapped her wings and they propelled forward. As they flew, the thought of whatever risks lie ahead haunted them in their minds.

Meanwhile, back in Prehistoric Park…

Today was a nice summer day and the park was filled with activity. It was feeding time and the staff members are busy gathering the food and feeding the animals. The elephants, including Martha, were enjoying their 'mountain salads'. The Deinosuchus, the saber-tooth cats, the Tyrannosaurus siblings, the terror bird, and the crocodiles were feasting upon their recently served carcasses. Bob was having a bit of fun feeding the Ornithomimus, and his 'adopted' children, the duck feed. The Titanosaurs were grazing on the treetops in their enclosure, the Elasmotherium was busy grazing, and the bugs were enjoying their…bug food. Everyone was happy…except for one.

The veterinarian known as Suzanne looked on at the lone animal in his enclosure. She had a look of worry on her face as she watched the lone Triceratops. For the past few days, he had not been eating and was not his upbeat self. Bob's occasional jousting on his 'Tractorceratops' usually lightened up his spirits, but only for a little bit. All he had been doing was lying down on his belly and looking down.

Suzanne did a checkup earlier that day and saw nothing wrong with Theo. He wasn't sick nor was he injured in any way. The brown colored ceratopsian lay there, front legs folded over each other, and let out sad moans. When the vet gripped one of the fence's poles, she heard footsteps walk up next to her. She looked to her left and saw Nigel looking at him too. Like Suzanne, Nigel was also concerned about Theo.

"He still hasn't eaten?" Nigel asked her while looking at the sad animal.

The dark-haired vet shook her head. "No. He didn't even take a nibble at the shrubs."

"I just don't get it," Suzanne wondered. "Last year, Theo was very energetic, even when he reached maturity. Now…he's not so much anymore."

"And he's still a juvenile too," the head researcher added.

"Right," she nodded.

"I think I've figured out as to why Theo's acting like this."

Suzanne stared at him and waited for the answer.

"I think what we're seeing here is the same thing that happened to Martha," Nigel explained, gesturing to the Triceratops in the enclosure.

"Wha-?" the woman widened her eyes and stared at him in shock. "You mean he's dying of loneliness?"

The man nodded. "Yes. And I've done some research about them too. It seems that Triceratops' behaviors are also similar to elephants and gorillas combined. Males live on their own or in family groups, like bull elephants. But they also need to survive on others, like in family groups."

"So you're saying we should find and retrieve another Triceratops," Suzanne figured.

"Right," Nigel nodded. "But not just any ordinary Triceratops. It's going to be a female."

The vet stared at him with eyes like marbles. "You're going to get him a girlfriend!?"

"Yup. He's a bachelor and the breeding season is nearly upon him."

"But, what if she's not interested?" Suzanne asked him.

"Don't worry. Bob and I will handle that," he told her. Nigel then retreated away and quickly left to prepare for his new mission. Suzanne on the other hand was so focused on the depressed Theo and did not notice him leave.

"Introducing a female to Theo would greatly reduce his feelings of loneliness. That, and with any luck, if they both get interested in each other, then we may have even more dinosaurs in this park," Suzanne said.

She looked to her left but then found out that she was the only one there. The woman searched on both sides and even behind her, but Nigel was not around. She shook her head, yet still smiled.

"That Nigel. Always going off on a new adventure…" she said as she turned around and watched Theo, who let out another depressed moan.

_And that ends Chapter 5. Not only do we have three bachelors in the story, but Nigel now is on a mission to help Theo. Looks like he's going to be playing the "Love Guru" for his one. Suzanne may have played as Cupid to the two saber-toothed cats, but now it's Nigel's turn. As for Hazel, things are really starting to heat up as they begin their trek across the desert. Now it seems that the predators following them are the least of their worries. Will they be able to survive their trips? Find out next time on Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure._


	6. The Desert

_Hello people, Darksage95 here. Chapter 6 is finally up! I don't really have much to say for this one, except for the disclaimer. I do not own Disney's Dinosaur, Prehistoric Park, etc. I only own the characters that I created. So sit back, and enjoy!_

**Soundtrack: Across the Desert by James Newton Howard/My Land was Destroyed by Epic Score**

If you have ever watched "Man vs. Wild", "Survivorman", or any of those shows where the host endures the most dangerous habitats in the world, then you would know exactly what is going on. Or try imagining you are a guest in "I Shouldn't Be Alive", telling the story of how you survived in a place where you are inches from death. This world is beautiful, yet in many ways, can be unforgivable. If you find the guts to survive in a harsh desert for two days with little food or water, then you should feel proud. However, try surviving longer than that. If you had a choice between slowly dying in a vast desert or being eaten by the jaws of a carnivore, what would you go with?

This was exactly what the herd was going through. The sun beat down on them with its unforgivable rays. The heat was unbearable. There was no food and absolutely no water; just an endless blanket of sand. And it didn't even help that Kron had been pushing them relentlessly. The herd had little rest, about four or five hours during the past couple of days.

It was not even surprising to see a herd member collapse dead out of fatigue and weakness. Out of the past couple of days, about five dinosaurs have already fallen. Even though some herd members mourned the loss of their comrades, they did not have time to grieve for them. Even if they did, Kron would not allow it. Even he did not care if someone died and would not even pay any mind to them.

The nights did bring some reprieve to the herd; as in the air was cool and the wind blew. However, the wind was strong enough to blow the sands. The sand got to everyone's eyes and interfered with their vision. Closing their eyes did not help as much as doing so brought the sand particles into their eyes. Kron pushed them on, regardless of the time of day or the weather conditions.

Each day in the desert worsened as time went on. The first day was hot with no winds at all. The second was windy, but still a little hot. During that day, a sandstorm blew just about a few miles to the west of the herd's position. All of the herd, including Hazel, noticed the huge dust cloud in the distance and started to fret. But of course, Kron pushed them forward. Hazel worried that the storm would hit them, but it never did. Then the third day was hotter than the last two days. No wind blew and everywhere they stepped was like walking across a bed of burning coals.

Even though she was not scouting as much as before, Hazel was suffering. She was already down to her last box of power bars and her last two bottles of water. There were even a few times when she was tempted to bring out a bottle of water and drink gulps from it. But she knew that doing so would attract the others' attention. She had to keep it a secret and endure the blistering sun. It was only during the night, when everyone was resting, that she allowed herself to. To make things worse, she did not get a lot of sleep. The few hours of rest the herd had during the crossing was not enough for her. Sometimes she saw mirages in the distance, like seeing a campsite or an oasis. Hazel knew they were not real and stayed focused.

The trek grew longer and everyone got little sleep. Occasionally, a dinosaur would fall out of exhaustion and get right back up with the help of another herd member. The only things driving them forward was the leader or the fear of getting eaten by the raptors in the back. Eema sometimes fell onto her belly to get some rest, but would refuse to get back up. Aladar, and occasionally Hazel if she was walking close by, always had to stop by and help her up.

The trek was unbearable. But they kept going. The herd knew that by stopping, they would die.

Hazel squinted her eyes in the distance. Looking at the west side, she could have sworn she saw some green mountains. She grinned as she recognized the rock formations as the barrier of her home away from home. She also noticed that she was moving slowly moving forward, as if the herd did not see the sanctuary in the distance. If she could just get to the herd leader and tell him, then they would all be saved.

Hazel leaned out to that side and was about to go to it when her foot did not touch any sort of ground. The human nearly fell and gripped on to whatever she was holding on. The teenager snapped back into reality and forgot that she was riding on Baylene's back, holding on to her neck for support. If she fell, she would be falling a little over three stories, at least in her perspective. She looked to the left again and saw the image of her home fade away. The vision dissipated like a reflection in water.

The human let out a sad sigh. This desert and the herd had reminded her that home was millions of years away.

"Hazel?" a voice sounded from behind her.

Hazel turned the other way and looked behind her. On the middle of the Brachiosaurus' back was Flia, wings folded and body facing the east side. The Pteranodon did not look like it, but she was suffering from the heat too.

"Is everything alright?" she asked again.

Hazel gave her a reassuring smile, even though the heat was beating down on her. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Flia stared at her friend and scouting partner. Even though she said she was okay, the human did not look like it. Her soft face was a tint darker than usual, her cheeks were a little red, her usual prepped ponytail was slightly unkempt with stray strands of hair, and sweat was pouring down her face. Hazel may be wearing her goggles, but underneath the lens, the bottom part of her eyes were dark in color.

"Hazel," the Pteranodon started. "Why don't you get some rest? You don't look well."

The human took in a breath and shook her head. "No, I can't. I need to keep an eye out for any danger."

"We are out in an open desert. There are no obstructions anywhere. Danger can easily be seen," Flia tried to explain.

"I know. Predators or sandstorms could pop out at any moment. But I can do this," Hazel defended herself.

"Hazel, you haven't been sleeping very well. This desert is playing tricks on your mind and your strength is waning."

The girl shook her head again and gave her a determined expression. "Don't worry about me. I can keep going."

"I am a scout too. I can keep an eye out for danger. Hazel, you must get some rest. You're killing yourself!" Flia told her in a louder tone.

Hazel looked down and closed her eyes. She let out a sigh before looking at her again. "Flia, you've done a lot for me. You protected me from the raptors, helped convince Kron to let me join, and you've allowed me to ride on you. I have not really done much and I have not repaid you at all. So please, just rest and let me keep watch."

"Hazel, stop pushing yourself! You don't know it but you've done so much for me too! Please, I'm worried about you!" Flia urgently told her.

"But Flia-!" she was about to say something but was then interrupted.

"Hazel!" a voice screamed at her from the lower right.

The human and Pteranodon stopped their dispute and looked down to the right. Down there, walking next to Baylene in a slow stride, was Aladar. Like Flia, he had a worried look on his face, specifically towards Hazel. The human stared at him and looked down in shame.

"Flia's right. You've been restless for the past few days. You should really get some rest."

A small frown etched across Hazel's face. She hated to admit that she was wrong, but they had a point. She hadn't had any proper rest at all. That and if she kept on keeping herself awake and allowing the mirages to confuse her, she would die. If not from the slow thirst or starvation, then from getting a heat stroke too.

Hazel let out a regretful moan. "I'm sorry guys. I haven't really been thinking straight lately…"

"Oh it's quite alright Hazel," Baylene turned her head to the back and looked at the two passengers. It turns out she had been listening to the entire conversation too. "You've done well, serving your duties as a scout."

The human gave her a small smile. "Thanks…and I guess you're right. I could go for a couple of hours of rest."

With that said, Hazel scooted back to where Flia was. Carefully, she used her hands to push herself back in small segments. Baylene's skin was burning hot, making Hazel wince in pain as she proceeded. By the time she reached Flia, she looked down at her hands and saw that her knuckles and palms were colored red. Hazel sighed, readjusted herself so that she would face Flia, and collapsed on the spot.

"Ungh…it's so hot…" Hazel let out that complain with a groan. "What I would give for at least a paper fan…"

Flia looked down at her and arched an eye ridge up in confusion. "A what?"

The human wanted to smack herself for that remark, but she was too tired to do so. Instead, she quietly chuckled. "Nothing. But, could you do me a favor?"

"Sure Hazel. What is it?" Flia asked.

"Could you please cover me with your wing while I rest?" Hazel asked her, almost muttering the request.

"Sure, but why?"

"Um…uh…how do I explain this?" she scratched her head as she tried to put it in simpler terms. "My kind isn't as…resilient to the sun as you or any of the members of this herd. Any more exposure to this kind of heat…isn't good for me. Constant movement and shade would prevent any risk of heat strokes…which can be fatal."

"Huh…I see," the Pteranodon replied, letting her know she understood the explanation. "I have never heard of this 'heat stroke' before."

"Yeah well…it's bad for me," Hazel replied. _"I'm nearly out of sunscreen. At this rate, my chances of getting a heat stroke, or skin cancer, or any other disease, would increase."_

"Well we can't have that," Flia said as she lay one wing over her body. Hazel watched as a leathery, somewhat thin, triangular appendage covered her face and body. She felt the membrane fall on her body, which was surprisingly smooth and soft. The only part of her body that was not covered by the wing were her feet.

"How is that?" Flia asked her.

"It's perfect. It's still hot, but not as hot as the outside air," Hazel replied, her voice muffled by her wing. "Thanks for doing this for me."

"Not a problem. Now go to sleep. You must get your strength back," the Pteranodon requested.

"Yes mother…," the human chuckled as she removed her goggles and let them rest on the upper part of her hat. She then folded her arms under her cheek and faced the left. She could not see the desert, but through the fold in Flia's wing, she could make out a little bit of blue sky.

Hazel's eyes blinked slowly at first, until they started to droop a few minutes later. The human allowed the weariness to take over her. With one final blink, the darkness overcame her vision, falling into the realm of dreams.

The herd walked on that night. Like before, they did not stop to rest, not even for a few hours. The night was cool and the wind blew occasionally. Some found that relieving while others were bothered by the sand particles blowing at them. The desert was vast and dark, like a huge dark blanket.

Hazel did regain some strength from her nap, so she decided to walk alongside her friends for a while. The temperatures were more relieving than earlier, so she decided to store her hat and goggles into her bag for the time being. The lemurs slept on Eema, Flia slept on Baylene who alongside the old Styracosaur were still trying to keep up with the herd, and Aladar was sticking along with them. Determined as Hazel was, her legs began to give in after a few hours. Even though she was tired, she still kept on walking.

"Man…what I would kill for a jeep. Or an ATV. Or anything that moves and has AC!" she groaned.

Hazel shivered and hugged herself as a cold wind blew. The human shut her eyes and looked away, trying to keep the sand from getting into her eyes. She wanted to smack herself because she neglected to bring a sweater with her. Hazel took another step and felt that her foot was sore. Tiredness was taking over, and she could not resist it this time. She fell forward and collapsed onto the sand. Hazel lay there, cheek on the sand and too tired to get back up.

"Maybe…I'll just lay here…for a few minutes," Hazel let out a relaxed sigh and closed her eyes.

She was about to drift into sleep when she heard footfalls come up to her. They were soft, as they were muffled by the sand. She listened and heard them stop next to her on her left. Hazel slightly opened one eye and looked up. She could not make out a face as it was really dark, but the light from the crescent moon illuminated the shape. Hazel did not say anything and was relieved she was not in any danger.

"Come on Hazel," Aladar told her. "Get up."

Hazel let out a moan. She tried to support herself up with her hands. Her arms then gave way and she found herself back onto the sand.

"Too…tired," she breathed out.

"Here," he said as he lowered himself onto the sand. Hazel's vision was blocked by a mass of scaly skin. The human turned her head upward and saw that Aladar was still looking at her. "You can ride on me."

Hazel thought for a moment and nodded to him. She shook a little as she got up and made her way to the Iguanadon. She placed both of her hands on his back and supported herself with what strength she had and from using his front leg as a foot support. Once on his back, she fell forward and lay there, ignoring the impact of his stubby back spines on her head and chest.

Aladar slowly got back up and started walking. Hazel put both of her arms under her head to keep the spines from rubbing against her. It was slightly more comfortable, but she knew her arms would become sore.

"Thanks Aladar…you're a real trooper you know," she told him.

"It's the least I could do. Besides, no one gets left behind."

Hazel let that thought sink into her mind and remembered what she should have told him earlier. "Um…thanks for stopping me earlier. I wasn't thinking straight."

"Not a problem. We need to look out for each other. Especially right now…" he said. The human was about to delve more into the subject when she was interrupted by another topic.

"So…where are you from?"

Hazel thought about her real home in Sarasota, Florida and knew that talking about that would leave him confused. Not only that, but mentioning that she was from a different time period would mean she would be treated differently. So she decided to be blunt on this one.

"Very far away…"

Aladar let out a chuckle and took that as a joke. "Is that the name of where you're from?"

The human rolled her eyes and smiled. "No. But if I told you, you wouldn't get it."

"Oh yeah?" he challenged. "Try me."

"Alright then…" Hazel took in deep breath and thought about Prehistoric Park, which she considered as her second home. "My home is in a valley. Lush green plains, tall trees in some areas, a few lakes here and there, and mountains that are rocky and treacherous yet so majestic when you look at them. Wherever you are, you can see the open sky. It's a beautiful place."

"Wow, sounds a little like this Nesting Grounds."

"Um…it kind of is," Hazel agreed.

Aladar frowned as he walked. "Now it's destroyed. I would have loved to see that place."

"Yeah," she lied.

"_It's not. You and the rest of this herd will see it. That, I can promise you,"_ Hazel mentally promised.

She looked down in sadness at the thought of her home. Hazel thought about what her friends are doing now and wondered if they are worrying about her. This talk about her home has surely made her homesick.

Hazel cleared her throat. The trip home is a long way off and would only depend on whether they made it to the Nesting Grounds. "But hey. The past is in the past. Time to move on. Live in the now, work for the tomorrow."

"You're being optimistic. That's a good thing," Aladar looked behind him and eyed at the human on his back. Afterwards, he looked back up front.

Hazel let out a lighthearted scoff. "I try to. But sometimes looking at the bright side gets clouded by obstacles. For example, I always worry that whatever mistake I do would mean the end of me. Whenever I make a mistake, I freak out."

"Sounds like you're a perfectionist," the dinosaur concluded.

"Yeah and I got it bad," Hazel replied. Right when he said that, the girl thought about the numerous times she screwed up in the past, like that one time she accidentally set the stove on fire while cooking breakfast and getting bad grades in school.

"For example," she lifted a finger up as if she were lecturing. "If I screw up with scouting and miss out on a tiny detail like not telling the leader that there's an area that may have potential rockslides, he'd beat me."

The blue Iguanadon shook his head. "That's just Kron. Not everybody is like that. Look, it's fine to make mistakes. If you make one, just learn from it."

"And don't think that my life depends on it?"

"Only when the situation calls for that but yes. Don't think like that," Aladar added.

Hazel stroked Aladar's side from where she was and smiled. "You know, I think you're the real optimist here."

"Hey, I do my best. And besides, the only way to survive is to stick together," he explained.

Hazel did not reply to that. He was right after all. She found it weird that she now has the means to talk to the dinosaurs as if she were talking to humans. Hazel mentally reminded herself to give Nigel a big thank you for the communicator after this was over. …And perhaps shake him uncontrollably for sending her to a death trap. Hazel chuckled at that thought.

A twinkle caught her attention and she looked up at the sky. The sky was dark, like black water. However, the moon illuminated the sky and made things look brighter. Alongside the moon were dozens of stars. Even though she was millions of years into the past, Hazel could still make out the stars that would one day become present day constellations. It took her a few moments to deduce which patterns would become the future constellations. While doing so, she could not help but admire the sight.

"The stars are out tonight," she said as she admired them.

"Stars?" Aladar asked.

"The lights up in the sky," Hazel explained. Of course, space would not be first explored until humans come along. The least she could do was be a little blunt in her explanation.

Aladar looked up and saw the lights. He kept looking forward then back up at the lights to make sure he wouldn't trip over something.

"So that's what they're called."

"Yeah," Hazel said. "They sure are pretty tonight."

"I've never really paid a lot of attention to them," Aladar said. "Now that we're out in the open..."

Hazel quickly added to that part. "Stargazing does capture the mind. In a good way. Just looking at them makes you feel small because they're so high up there. Still, they're nice to look at."

Aladar kept admiring the stars until he heard a small sound come out from Hazel. He turned his head and saw that she was yawning. He smirked at that action and watched as she went back to her original arms under head position.

"You should sleep now," he told her.

For once, she did not argue to that. "Yeah, I guess it is passed my bedtime."

Aladar watched as his human friend fell asleep on his back. Even though the herd was being driven through the night, he found relief in staring at the stars. He could not explain it, but there was something different about Hazel. Not about how she looked like, but what she knew. The more the dinosaur wondered about Hazel, the more confused he got. He pushed all those thoughts aside and focused back on reality.

_Well there you go, the end of Chapter 6. Not really much action…yet. I just thought this would be about something cute. So Chapter 7 will be up soon so stay tuned._


	7. The Lake

_Okay…the action begins…now. Well, at least the prelude to it. Nothing really much to say, except for the disclaimers. I do not own Disney's Dinosaur, Prehistoric Park, or any of the other shows/movies mentioned here, just the characters that I created._

**Soundtrack: Aladar and Neera by James Newton Howard**

Hazel jolted awake when she heard the bellows. It was a good thing too because she was falling asleep and she had been leaning towards the side, towards the gravel below. Coupled with the bag she carried and she would have fallen fast. If it weren't for Kron and Bruton's rude awakening, she would have fallen dead on the spot.

Hazel shook herself awake and readjusted herself back on her seated position. She chose to ride on Baylene's back for a few hours before she got back to walking on foot. The girl could not recall how long she had been sleeping, or when she climbed onto the sauropod's back, but that did not matter to her now. The herd's excitement and the flurry of action is what mattered.

The human looked behind her and saw Flia in her usual spot. She had her wings folded across her chest and was looking past her. Hazel lifted an eyebrow up and looked in that direction. She did not have her goggles, as she had stowed them away into her bag earlier that day, so she had to squint in order to see. Hazel did wear her hat though, which she needed in order to keep her head cool. The sun was blinding and there was not a cloud in the sky. What's better, not a lot of dust was flying. The human made out the figures of the various dinosaurs, and Kron and Bruton, making their way towards a rocky hill. Hazel looked back at Flia and noticed that she was smiling.

"Uh hey, what's going on?" she asked her friends around her. "Why is everyone so excited?"

Eema, with her rounded body and tired legs, hurried forward a little and let out a relieving gasp. "It's the lake!"

Hazel could not help but grin at that word. Finally, the situation was starting to get better. Hazel closed her mouth and felt the dryness. She took a gulp and noticed that her throat was dry too, probably from sleeping with her mouth open. Too long has she been without water. She looked forward and urged Baylene to hurry up with a couple of excited pushes on her neck. Baylene was simply too huge and did not feel those pushes at all.

Just then, Yar, the elder lemur, climbed up from behind Eema's armored head and looked out at the sight. He too was smiling.

"We made it!?" he asked her.

"It's just over that…that hill baby!" the Styracosaurus gasped with joy.

"Oh thank goodness…" Baylene tiredly said as she did her best to keep up.

Aladar rushed forward from behind Eema and made his way towards the hill. Unlike the other dinosaurs, who only cared about getting water, he waited to allow the elder women to catch up to him. He turned to them and pushed them to hurry up, especially to Eema.

"Come on Eema! Water! Remember water!?" he told her as a form of motivation.

"Oh it's time to refresh…my memory!" Eema smiled and pushed on up the hill.

Hazel let out a giggle and was about to hang on to Baylene again when something tapped on her shoulder. She turned around and saw an ecstatic Flia spread her wings apart and turn her back to her. The Pteranodon still kept her gaze on the human, as if she were waiting for something.

"Want to see if we could beat them to it?" Flia asked as she gestured to Hazel.

Hazel immediately got up and made her way to the pterosaur. Obviously, she did not have to ask that sort of question. Carefully, she balanced herself on Baylene's back like a tight rope walker. Thankfully, it was a short distance and she made it to her flying partner. Hazel supported herself onto Flia and with a turn, they took off.

They did not fly too high and kept close to the herd. Since flying by air is a lot faster way of travel, the dinosaurs blurred below them. Even though the herd was walking fast up the hill, the scouts were still faster. Hazel even snickered when they passed over Kron and Bruton. Just for that moment, they were the ones winning. When they finally made it over the hill to the lake, Hazel let out a cry of victory.

"Water here I co-!" she cried before she got interrupted.

Both of them fell silent as they flew over the lake, or at least, what was a lake. Flia flew over the entire lake perimeter, hoping that what they were seeing was just a hallucination. It was all too real…

"Oh no…" was all Hazel could utter.

What was once a lake was what Hazel would call a dried up dirt hole. There was no water in sight, not even a puddle. The dried up lakebed did not show any cracks, a sign that the place dried up recently. There was absolutely nothing there, save for the dried up remains of a Styracosaurus off to the side.

Flia made another turn back to the herd. When she did, both noticed the rest of the herd arriving at the hilltop and beholding the disappointing sight. To their left, they saw their friends Baylene and Aladar arrive. Eema was slowly following behind them and her voice echoed through the area.

"I'm just gonna walk into that lake…until the water's up to my eyeballs," she gasped when she finally made it.

"And soak it all…in," Eema said and then let out a sad sigh.

The herd stood there, staring at the lake. Flia found a place in between her friends where she could drop off Hazel. The Pteranodon slowly descended and reared back, allowing for a soft landing. Wings spread apart and standing tall, she waited until Hazel landed on the ground. After seeing her run up and stand with the mini-herd, Flia took off and made her way towards the front, to where Kron was.

Hazel stood there and stared at the lakebed. She even felt sorry for the dead Styracosaurus on the other side. She imagined that the dinosaur must have died there, waiting for the rains to come and offer a second chance. Or perhaps some predators came and attacked it on the spot while it waited for water. Either way, the skeleton lay there as a symbol of death.

The human also wondered if this area was once a green valley. The chances of this place being lush with vegetation in the past were slim, as this area would be bordered next to an unforgivable desert. But it was still a possibility. That and the meteor probably destroyed the place. Hazel could not help but wonder if they had been walking over the bones of any unfortunate dinosaurs, even previous members of this herd. The more she thought about it, the sorrier she felt. That moment of grief was interrupted by the echo of Kron's command.

"The Nesting Grounds are only a few days away! Keep moving!" the purple Iguanadon commanded.

The herd responded to that command with a series of disappointing groans and cries. Hazel turned towards Kron and the herd and saw them walking away. Neera, who was keeping up with Kron, was trying to tell him something. Whatever it was, he was not going for her advice. Bruton was not there, as he must have been sent to a scouting mission himself. As for Flia, she must have taken off somewhere.

None of that mattered to Hazel as the rage built up in her. She stared at the leader in anger, who was now bellowing to push the herd on. She knew that if they kept going like this, only a fraction of the herd would survive. Hazel marched over there, hands clenched into fists, to yell at her boss in the face.

"We're moving already? Oh we'll never keep up…" Baylene said as she looked on at the now moving herd.

"There was water here…" muttered Eema who sounded a little ways off from the rest. "Always water here before."

Hazel just passed Baylene and stopped when she heard Eema's voice. She followed that sound and saw the elder dinosaur walking into the dried-up lakebed. Hazel took a glance at the herd before making her way down to Eema. She was not the only one to think that way as Aladar made his way to Eema too.

"We always had water…always. And…plenty of mud," she cried.

"Oh Eema please," said Baylene who was walking slowly down to her friend. "The herd won't wait. We must carry on."

Hazel was about halfway down the slope when Flia landed behind her. She heard the familiar flap of wings and turned around to see her friend. Flia, who was now on all fours and wings folded next to her, stared at her.

"Hazel, we need to fly. Now," she urged her.

The human gaped at her. "What!?"

"Kron's orders. We need to scout."

"Fine. But we're not leaving until we help Eema," Hazel told her and ran down the dry shore.

Flia watched as the human made her way towards the rest of the group. She let out a sigh of frustration before taking off towards them. It didn't take her very long to land next to Eema. With Aladar, she tried to make the old woman get back up on her feet. She was on one side while Aladar was on the other. It didn't really help that Eema was heavy and she was not supporting herself at all. Flia had thin and weak arms, which were only made for flying and not carrying things. She did not even notice the lemurs come up from behind Eema to stay next to her.

"You've got to get up!" Aladar grunted as he tried to help Eema.

"Come on old girl! Or we'll get left behind!" Flia urged as well.

Nearby, Baylene had made it to the lake and the ground cracked under her weight. Each step got louder and deeper as she got closer to them.

"There was water everywhere…" Eema cried again.

"There is no water dear," the Brachiosaurus tried to explain.

Another loud step. This time, Hazel heard it. She stopped running and looked back at Baylene, who was still walking towards them. Hazel was about halfway between the sauropod and the rest of her friends when she heard those gurgling sounds. Not only that, but she also noted the footprints from the shore, which got deeper the further in she went. Baylene made another step and the girl's curiosity piqued. Hazel looked back at Aladar, who was still trying to get her back up.

"Aladar hold it!" she called to him.

Immediately when she said that, he let Eema go and allowed her to fall back on the ground. Flia squawked in surprise when the weight got heavier and backed up a little to avoid being crushed. Aladar looked at Hazel and waited for her to say something. She did not say anything, but she did point at Baylene, who made one final step. When she did, the sound returned. Those did not notice before, but Zini was right next to Baylene's foot at the time. The lemur watched them and waited to see if he had not been going crazy too.

"Baylene…don't move," Aladar told the sauropod and quickly walked up to her.

"Oh what is it?" the Brachiosaurus reared back a little. "What's wrong?"

When she moved, a small gurgling sound from under her feet. At this point, the lemur, the Iguanadon, and the human were already surrounding that foot.

"Do you hear that?" Zini asked the other two.

"Uh huh. There's something under there," replied Hazel. She along with Zini were kneeling down.

"I sure do. Lift your foot Baylene," Aladar told her.

Baylene lifted her foot up and the three began digging from the footprint. The blue Iguanadon shoveled out clumps of dirt with his left foot. The human was doing the same, only with her left hand and at a slower pace. The yellow furred lemur used both of his hands to shovel the dirt away, and even fell in the hole during the process. While they were digging, Hazel realized something that she had learned from a while ago.

"_I've seen elephants do this on TV a few times, during periods of serious drought. If this is a dried lake and what I heard is what I think it is..."_ she thought as she kept on digging.

"Now press down," Aladar told Baylene. When he said that, Hazel and Zini backed away to allow the clawed foot to fall.

The elder dinosaur pressed her foot back into the mold. The gurgling came back and for a second, nothing happened. That was, until Baylene's immense weight gave way and the ground broke. The crashing footfall was followed by a brown gurgling liquid, which was now flooding out from beneath the dirt. Everyone smiled at what had happened.

"Whoo! I always loved big girls!" Zini cheered.

"Water…!" Aladar gasped and backed up a little.

"Oh my goodness!" Baylene reared her head back at the realization that she saved them all.

Hazel laughed and jumped for joy. "I KNEW IT! THANK YOU ANIMAL PLANET!"

Thankfully, the creatures around her did not pay any attention to that comment, as they were mostly concerned with the water.

The blue ornithopod reared his head back and bellowed into the air. The herd stopped moving and turned to see what had happened. Even Kron and Neera stopped to investigate.

"Water! Come on!" he hollered at them.

Aladar ran back to the watering hole and dug a little deeper. Nearby, the lemurs were hopping alongside a tired Eema, who was desperately walking towards the puddle as fast as she could.

"That's it Eema. Come drink," Baylene gestured to her friend.

Hazel was watching her and nearly fell over when she felt a little nudge from her back. The human turned on both sides and saw Flia towering to her right. She was smirking and shook her head before going in for a drink. Hazel knew that was a way of saying 'you really are something'. She soaked in this victory with her friends and buried her face in the puddle. The human knew she was taking in gulps of sediment covered water, but that did not bother her. All she cared about right now was easing her dry throat.

After a minute or so of gulping down the dirty water, Hazel brought her head back up and was gasping for air. Her bangs and front locks of her hair were soaked. She shook her head to part them away and breathed in the oxygen. Since the water was dirty, some sediments stuck to her face and she took the action of wiping them off using the neck part of her shirt. The feeling of being free from the dirt relieved her.

The relaxing moment was ruined when Kron appeared. Flia and Aladar stopped drinking and perked their heads up at him when he came along. Hazel finished wiping her face and started shaking when he came close. Except for them, the others kept on drinking.

"Kron look! All you had to do was dig and-," Aladar explained but was then rudely interrupted.

"Good, now get out of the way," the leader demanded, which caused the newcomer to back away.

Kron stomped and roared at them. Everyone had been taken by surprise at his action. The group, dinosaur, lemur, and human, backed up and gave the selfish leader what he wanted; his own drinking puddle. Kron immediately took gulps from the puddle, not even minding the still thirsty members around him. Hazel had landed on her rump when he roared and had backed up by a few feet to get away from him. Even when she was already a considerable distance away, she was still shaking from the event. Not only that, but being pushed away by her boss all because he wanted to have the puddle all to himself made her want to scream at his face even more.

At that moment, when Kron shooed them away, a series of bellows sounded from the far shore of the lake. All of them felt the vibrations from the footfalls. Hazel looked in that direction and was shocked to see the entire herd stampeding towards the large puddle. She let out a scream and ran to the edge of the shore. At least…she was about to when Flia called to her and gestured her to climb on her back. Without a second thought, Hazel climbed on and the duo took off to the skies, away from the stampede.

The two scouts found safety at the far shore where the herd came from. They stood there, side by side, watching the huge spectacle. Every single member of the herd, whether they be big or small, were squeezing past each other. They even witnessed some dinosaurs get shoved away by their comrades, just to be denied a turn at the puddle. There was even Baylene, who stood there in shock her smaller comrades surrounded her handy work for a drink.

Not only did they get a good view of the situation, but also a good view at two dinosaurs of the opposite personality. Somewhere away from the main cluster, Aladar was tending to Eema by helping her gently push the incoming members away. Just then, a loud bellow was heard from the main part of the herd. Both diverted their attention to that portion and no doubt did they see Kron telling the others to back off from his water.

Hazel shook her head in disappointment. "Geez, what a big difference there."

Flia said nothing about that comment. Both of them just stood there and continued to watch. Neither of them knew it, but they were not the only ones to observe this phenomenon. Nearby, Neera watched the whole thing. No doubt was she thinking the same way as Flia and Hazel were. This event continued on until the cluster broke off; each member satisfied, or somewhat satisfied, with the drink they had.

That evening, Kron decided to let the herd rest in the area. After being driven mercilessly and restlessly through the desert, they had finally gotten some well needed rest. Couple that with a drink of water and that is luxury.

As usual, Aladar's troupe rested further away from the herd. All slept around each other, forming somewhat of a protective circle. Everyone was accounted for…except for Hazel. While they slept, she had made her way back to the puddle and refilled her bottles. Thankfully, her bottles had filters, so she would not ingest any of the sediment. Except for one, the Bobble bottles were now filled with brown, cloudy water.

The puddle was not that far off from the herd, so Hazel knew she was safe. There she was, kneeling, and storing her last bottle into her bag. It was evening and everyone was pretty much asleep. The temperature of the land had cooled down, so there was no need to use her hat or her goggles.

Hazel pulled out her cell phone, turned it on, and started texting Nigel. It had been days since she last spoke to him and she knew he would be worried. Not only that, but there were a few things bothering her. Talking to her prehistoric friends is a definite no, so the only other person she could turn to is her mentor.

**Hazel**: Sorry about the days' wait. We've been traveling through the nights and I could not find any safe times to contact you.

**Nigel**: Hazel! You had me worried!

**Hazel**: Yeah, sorry about that. We've been traveling double time. Anyway, we found water in this desert!

**Nigel**: That's wonderful! You filled up your bottles?

**Hazel**: Sure did. I did so a few minutes ago. The water's murky, but it's okay!

**Hazel**: I feel kind of guilty, keeping my rations a secret. I wish I could share them, but then they'll be reliant on me for food and water. I only have enough for myself.

**Nigel**: I know. I don't like it either but it is for the best. How long until you reach the Nesting Grounds?

**Hazel**: A few days. Maybe less. Nigel, I've been wondering. Sooner or later, my friends (Aladar, the lemurs, Baylene, Eema, and Flia) will start wondering about who I really am. I don't know how much longer I can hold up.

**Nigel**: Well, considering that their descendants will not remember what has taken place, I don't see a problem in telling them. And they're your friends. You can tell them anything. I mean, you've spoken to me and the rest of the staff about anything.

**Hazel**: I know that. But I'm just not sure if they will understand. I mean, whatever term I use from our time might leave them confused. And when I do bring them back, I'm not sure how to tell them they'll be safe.

**Nigel**: Calm down. When telling them the truth, just simplify your explanation. Don't talk about anything that would confuse them.

**Nigel**: And whatever you do, do not tell them about your plans on bringing them back.

**Hazel**: I know. Doing so would cause problems.

**Nigel**: You're really lucky you know. You get to speak with them.

**Hazel**: Hehe. Alright. Well, I should let you go now. We may have found water, but that doesn't mean the leader will ease up on us.

**Nigel**: Okay. From what you've told me about Kron, and to quote you from before, he IS a prick!

**Hazel**: And stubborn too! He wouldn't let the other members of the herd get a fair share of water! He was even going to push them onwards to the Nesting Grounds! (Before we found the water. The elephants' technique of finding water really helped today.) Anyway, I should stop gossiping.

**Nigel**: Just be careful around him. It sounds like he would have a one on one with Matilda if it were a bad day. Do you plan to bring him back?

**Hazel**: I don't want to. But I'm not sure how to prevent him from following. What should I do? What if he does follow?

**Nigel**: I'm not sure. Just do your best on making sure he doesn't follow you. Kron might wreck Prehistoric Park or injure the other animals. Or worse…he might injure us.

**Hazel**: Okay. I'll try. But it's still too early to think about that. Right now, the top priority is reaching the Nesting Grounds.

**Nigel**: Okay. Well, it's late and you need your strength.

**Hazel**: Alright. Goodnight

**Nigel**: Goodnight and be careful.

With that said, Hazel turned off her phone, carried her bag, and made her way back to her friends. It took her about five minutes or so to make it back to them. The sun was not fully down yet so there was still light. If it weren't for the dried up lake and the desert nearby, the scenery would make a beautiful subject for a painting. By the time she got close to Baylene's back, Hazel heard a couple of voices nearby. Curious, she peered over from the tail side and saw the source, or two in this case.

A little ways off, but not that far, was Aladar. She did notice the twin juvenile Iguanadons drinking from a newly created puddle. But that sight did not make her widen her eyes in surprise. It was the fact that Aladar and Neera were talking to each other, face to face.

Hazel could not believe what she was seeing. A few days ago, Neera was completely uninterested in this guy, and even gave him a lame nickname. And now, here she was, talking to him. Hazel was not much of an eavesdropper, but she did watch a few dramas in the past. Interested in the situation, she knelt down to one knee, used Baylene's neck as cover in case she needed to hide, and watched the scene. They were a little far off, but she could make out what they were saying. Or at least, most of what they were saying as they were a little quiet.

"I'm Aladar. The Jerkosaurus," Aladar introduced himself with some humor.

"Oh…sorry, about that," Neera replied with an embarrassing smile.

The blue male chuckled at that. "You're probably right."

There was an awkward silence between the two after that statement. Hazel had watched too many dramas to know this kind of moment. Normally one of them would open up with a random question, which would then be followed by some touchy moment. A minute later, Hazel's theory was proven.

"Why did you help that old one?" the lavender female asked.

"What else was I supposed to do? Leave her behind?" was Aladar's answer.

When he said that, Neera looked down in shame. The partner noticed this and thought about something that might answer as to why she was like that.

"Oh…you mean you actually-?"

"Well that happens all the time," Neera immediately followed up with that. "You don't survive if you're not-"

Aladar finished her sentence. "Strong enough."

Hazel rolled her eyes at that part. Classic romance; the boy finishing the girl's statement. Or the other way around. She also understood what was going on, judging from what they were saying. Neera must have learned her brother's ways and considered them to be right. And leaving the weak behind was one of them! But…she still was not like the ruthless Kron. After all, she did help Hazel by convincing Kron to let her join.

"Well…yeah," Neera agreed.

"Is that you talking? Or your brother?"

Neera looked at him seriously, but then turned away from him. She let out a sigh and walked off. Obviously, she was confused at what was right and what was wrong.

"Everything seems so different. I…I don't know what to think anymore," she said as she walked off.

Much to Hazel's dismay, the two began to walk off together. Sure it was romantic and all, but the further they went, the quieter the volume. The human put her hands close to her face (as if she were clawing at it) and silently let out a cry, like a fan desperately wanting to know what happens next. Even though they were now farther away, Hazel could still understand the basic situation.

"Look Neera," Aladar said while walking next to her. "If we watch out for each other, we all stand a chance of getting to your Nesting Grounds."

Neera chuckled at that. "You sound so sure."

"I'm not," was his response. "But it's all I know."

Again, there was an awkward silence between them. Judging from what she was seeing, Hazel would give Aladar a thumbs up for making a move on Neera. And this was without Zini's help! Cheering her up and easing her with the current situation is one way of getting close to her.

"_This is so cute,"_ Hazel thought as she watched them. _"They're on a date…now if only Aladar would offer Neera something. Ooh I know! Give her a drink!"_Unexpectedly, Aladar took the words right out of her mouth.

"So um…oh water," Aladar mentioned and started digging a hole in the ground with his foot. "I'll get you some water."

Hazel lifted an eyebrow up and then rolled her eyes playfully.

"_Wow…took the words right out of my mouth. Well…sort of,"_ she said in her mind.

"Can I try?" Neera asked.

"Sure! Just press," the boy instructed.

The human squinted her eyes and saw them press one paw next to their partner's. She then heard them giggle and were about to go in for a drink. Hazel giggled when they accidentally bumped into each other.

"Oops!" Aladar said.

Neera let out a giggle. "Sorry."

"No you. You first," he went.

"_Another point for Aladar. Always let the lady go first,"_ Hazel noted proudly.

"One down…" a voice sounded from the tip of Baylene's tail.

Hazel looked in that direction and was surprised to see the lemur family awake. What's more, they were watching the whole date too. They sat there and watched as their adopted son, or brother, or nephew, depending on the lemur, spend some quality time with his unexpected crush.

"And…" Yar, who was the one who made that statement earlier, said as he gestured over to Zini. Zini on the other hand, just woke up and saw what was going on. Hazel kind of felt sorry for the lemur bachelor as his buddy found a girl and he didn't. Still, it's life.

"Well, one down," the elder lemur concluded to save Zini some confusion.

All of them watched as the couple drank water together. Even after having their fill, they went on with their conversation. Hazel could not help but happily sigh. She now had the expression of the audience admiring the sight of a lovely young couple having a good time.

"Ah…Lamour…" she whispered as to not wake up Baylene or attract the lemurs' attention.

This was a romantic moment and Hazel wished she had some popcorn. Not just to quell her hunger, but also to enjoy the sight as it would fit perfectly in a movie. However, like what happened before, all good moments had to be interrupted. A sound had attracted her attention and made her look to the shoreline. When she did, she saw Bruton limping towards Kron, who now stood up from his perch. They were both farther away from her than the dating couple so Hazel could not make out exactly what they were saying. However, the words "Carnotaurs" and "driven them out" were definitely bad news.

Just then, a roar echoed. The human looked behind her and guessed that the roar came from a Carnotaurus. What's worse, the sound came from the mountains just a few miles away. Hazel started to worry about the safety of this herd and looked back at the leading Iguanadons. The next thing that Kron said was something that Hazel could perfectly hear.

"You led them right to us!" he growled at Bruton. "Maybe you can feed them with your hide!"

Bruton looked away in shame. If getting hurt by a Carnotaur was bad, getting a mouthful from Kron was even worse.

"Move the herd out! Double time!" Kron yelled at him before walking away in a huff.

Bruton, although feeling shameful that he pissed off his superior, did what he was told. He bellowed as loud as he could. The herd jolted awake and started moving out right after Kron bellowed. Seeing this, and wanting to know what was really going on, Hazel ran over to that ledge to the leader.

The herd was moving fast and they did not even know what was going on. Luckily, the human's main focus was on Kron, who was standing on the hilltop watching the herd pass by. Just when Hazel was about to climb the ledge to get to him, she heard the familiar flap of wings come toward her. She turned around, and once again saw Flia.

"Get on!" she ordered her.

Hazel complied to that and climbed on to her back. When she did, the Pteranodon took off. At first, they were flying towards the main basin, then Flia made a sharp turn and flew towards the leader. It only took a minute or so until she landed close to him. Kron looked down to his left side and saw his scouts walk to him. Flia was about to say something but was interrupted by another voice.

"Kron!" a voice shouted.

All turned towards the far left and saw Neera and Aladar walk up to the base of the ledge. Like Kron, well…he did not exactly show it, they were worried about the situation.

"What's going on?" his sister asked.

"Carnotaurs! If we don't keep moving, they'll catch up to us," he explained.

"But…the others in the back! They'll never make it!" Aladar reasoned.

"They'll slow down the predators!" Kron retorted.

At that moment, Flia and Hazel gasped. They looked at each other and shared worried expressions. Their friends were obviously too slow and weak to fend off the Carnotaurs. There was no way they would survive alone!

"You can't sacrifice them like this!" Aladar shot back.

And Hazel agreed with him. She marched up to Kron, fists balled, teeth clenched, and rage on her face. How could Kron do this to them? To her friends!? No, not just her friends, anyone! Hazel tolerated his leadership skills for nearly two weeks and she has had it! Boss or not, this guy has no right to treat them like this.

"_I've just about had it with this guy! I don't care about survival of the fittest. This is just wrong!"_ Hazel screamed in her mind.

"Kron!" she called to him. He looked down and stared into those furious eyes. "He's right! They're slow and vulnerable! We can't just leave them behind!"

"Yes we can! Doing so will increase our chances of survival!" he defended his belief.

Hazel shot glares at him again. "Survival for the herd, or survival for you?"

Flia looked at her in shock and told her to stop. "Hazel be quiet!"

For the first time during this trip, the human ignored her advice. The purple dinosaur turned his body towards her and stared as if she were an ant. He put one foot down, showing his anger.

"You dare question my authority!?"

"Yes I dare!" she screamed back at him. "You don't have any sympathy for those who fall behind and die! All you care about is yourself! What kind of a leader are you?"

"Keep talking that way and I will make you an easy target to the predators!" Kron threatened.

"Go ahead! Do it! You selfish bastard, you're no leader and you don't deserve to be one!"

Right when she said that, Hazel knew she had gone too far. She only had a second to reflect on what she had just said. And only one second. Kron reared back on his hind legs and prepared to smash her to the ground. Hazel readied herself to dodge the attack when shockingly, Flia gets in front of her. The pterosaur used on of her wings to push her back and the girl landed on her butt. She heard a cry of pain and opened her eyes. When she did, she saw Kron pinning the helpless Flia on the ground. There she was, sprawled on her stomach and shrieking in pain.

"Oh my god! Flia!" Hazel screamed.

The human was about to draw her sword and slash at him when she heard another dinosaur run up to the ledge. She turned around and saw Aladar scream down at the herd. The herd slowed their pace and looked up at him so that they would hear what he would say.

"Hold it! That could be you back there! Or you!"

The furious Kron growled and stormed up to Aladar. Like what he did to his sky scout, he pinned the rookie down. Hazel saw this chance and ran to Flia's side. While she helped her up, she watched the entire event take place.

"If you ever interfere again," Kron threatened him. "I'll kill you!"

Aladar breathed in horror as the ruthless leader glared into his soul. Once he released him and started to walk away, Neera walked over to him and was about to help him up. Her brother turned and ran up to her.

"Stay away from him!" he shouted and pushed her away. His action made her walk alongside him and away from Aladar. The blue Iguanadon recovered and was about to attack him when the female told him no.

"Aladar no!" Neera told him, making him stop.

"You just…just go! I'll be okay!" she said as she walked away.

Aladar shook his head in frustration before agreeing with Neera. He turned around and rushed back to his friends. Back there, Eema, Baylene, and Url just woke up and saw the back of the herd march out of the lake.

While that happened, Hazel managed to help Flia get away from the area. They were still on the plateau and were a few feet away from the recent leader threat. Hazel checked around her partner's hairless body for any signs of broken bones or other injuries.

"Flia, I'm so sorry!" Hazel apologized, still horrified by what happened.

"It's alright," Flia reasoned with her, with some strain in her voice.

Hazel checked around her body one last time and saw that there were no serious injuries. The only sore spot she noted from Flia was a huge area on her back, which was where she was struck. Other than that, no limbs or bones were broken.

"You're safe…that's all that matters. And I've been through worse before."

The human watched her partner flap her wings twice to check for any pain. The Pteranodon flapped her wings smoothly, which meant her most important limbs were fine. When she finished, a sense of fear was etched on her face as she stared at her right. Hazel noticed and looked too, fear etching her face as well. Coming up to them was an angry Kron and a worried Neera.

"Human," Kron stopped and glared down at Hazel. "Be happy in the knowledge that I spared your life. For questioning my leadership, you are exiled from the herd and stripped of your position!"

At that moment, Hazel did not care. She continued to stare into those heartless, steel-blue eyes with fury. The dinosaur did the same and snorted at her. He then looked at Flia and gave her a glare too. Neera stepped forward and was about to talk to them when her brother pushed her to the side like before. The female could not do anything to help except by giving them an apologetic look. Once they were away, Hazel turned to Flia, who was recovering from the confrontation.

"Flia, you must go with them," Hazel told her.

When she said that, the scout shook her head in defiance. "No, I will not leave you behind."

"Don't worry about me. I'll stay with the others. Right now, the herd needs a scout in the air," the human reasoned with her.

Flia shook her head again. She did not want to leave her friend alone. Even though she said she would stay with their friends, she knew that she would still be in danger. Without anyone to watch out for them in the sky, their chances of survival are low.

"Hazel!" she tried to reason again.

The human kept a straight face at her. "I said go!"

After a moment of silence, and shock from Flia, Hazel walks up to her and strokes her beak. Her expression turned from being stern to being concerned.

"I'll be fine. We'll meet at the Nesting Grounds. I promise," she told her.

The flying reptile closed her eyes and inhaled. They stood there together for a few minutes. Hazel continued to stroke her beak to calm her nerves. Afterwards, the pterosaur backed up and turned her back to the human. They gave each other one last look, eyes filled with resolve, before parting ways. Flia took off to the skies and looked behind her one last time at the creature she called friend.

"_Hazel, please be careful,"_ she thought as she flew towards the herd, which was now out of the lake area.

Hazel walked on until she was at the edge of the hill. She looked over to the left side of the lake and saw her friends slowly walking together. The human took a deep breath and collected her thoughts.

"_Well this was an eventful day. First we find water, I enjoy a romantic scene which would fit perfectly in a Shakespearean play, my boss fires me for questioning his leadership skills, and now my friends and I are left behind. Could this situation get any worse?"_

She walked down the slope to join her friends. Hazel watched too many movies and TV shows to know that when someone says that, things always get worse. And she knew that she was right.

_And voila! Chapter 7. Man that was a doozy. Took me nearly two days (including breaks, meals, and sleep) to finish this. When Hazel gets back (if she ever gets back…), Nigel and the others are definitely going to flip. Except for the part where she talks to them of course. She's well aware of the promise she made to Nigel. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for Chapter 8._


	8. The Cave

_Hey guys. I'm on summer vacation! The reason why I haven't updated this story in a while is because of finals, studying, and having my wisdom teeth removed XP. Sorry for the delay and hope you enjoy!_

**The Cave by James Newton Howard**

That evening, the mini-herd trudged slowly through the nearby mountain passes. It had been hours since the herd had left them behind. The night was dark and no stars were out. Clouds blotted the sky and lightning and thunder boomed above them. The streaks of light illuminated the scenery every five minutes or so. No wind blew and no rain fell. The only consolation from this stormy night was the fact that it was not hot out.

Hazel had not spoken a word for hours. She had been in deep thought ever since she rebelled against Kron and told Flia to go on without her. The human looked down at the ground in depression, thinking about how her scouting partner was holding up. Did Kron give her another scar as a result of her getting in his way? Just to protect her human partner? Or did he beat her and leave her behind like the rest of her friends? Hazel cringed at any of those thoughts, knowing that Flia's punishment was her doing. And she is not there to help her.

"You okay honey?" a voice called to her.

The girl perked her head up and looked to the left. She did not notice before, because she was distracted, but Eema had been walking alongside her. The lemurs were all riding on her back, using her horned head as protection. Zini was up front, then Yar, and Suri. Next to the Styracosaurus was Baylene and leading the group up front was Aladar. Hazel folded her arms over her chest and sighed.

"I'm fine…just worried is all."

"About not making it to the Nesting Grounds?" she guessed.

"Well, um, kind of. I'm just worried about all of us here. I mean, think about it. We're easy targets now," Hazel replied. It was not a lie, but she was not really in the mood to discuss what had happened to her.

"Hey don't say that," Aladar said and turned his head slightly to look at them as he walked. He then looked forward again. "We'll be fine. We just need to stick together."

"Right. But I'm still scared," she looked at the ground again.

"Everything will be okay, Hazel," Plio reassured her, who was apparently riding Aladar.

A few minutes passed and neither of them said a word. Lightning crashed in faster intervals now. The dinosaurs and human paused and looked up at the sky every other crash, due to how loud it was. The atmosphere was really starting to unnerve the human. She wished that they would find shelter soon.

"So what happened?" Yar asked, breaking the silence. "Besides us getting abandoned?"

Hazel really did not want to talk about that, but he asked. Trying to dismiss the topic would only result in them asking more questions.

"I just got exiled from the herd."

"Oh my goodness. For what dear? You never did anything wrong," Baylene looked to her side at the youngster.

"Yeah well try telling that to Kron. I got mad at him for leaving you guys behind. Flia took the hits for me and…" she broke off, not wanting to tell them she told her to go on ahead.

"She's back with the herd now..." Hazel replied in shame.

"Well at least you're safe hun. Kron could've killed you," Eema turned her head to her.

"I put her in harm's way!" she looked at them. Anxiety was now clearly visible on her face. Hazel hugged herself even tighter. "It was my fight, not hers! I almost got her killed."

"Hazel, it wasn't your fault," Aladar replied. Hazel looked at the leader.

Like the girl, he too was thinking about that time. If he did not step up and try to coax the herd into helping the others, Flia and Hazel would have been harmed. He also did that because he was trying to do what was right. In other words, he was in the same position as Hazel.

"Don't beat yourself up for it. And you've still got us."

"Kid, we're all in this together," Yar spoke up next.

Hazel smiled weakly at that. _"If only I could tell Yar he just quoted a song from a movie."_

"And Flia's a tough girl. She can take hard hits and still keep flying," the elder ceratopsian reassured her.

"That's true," Hazel closed her eyes and looked forward again. "_Well, we've got things that Kron doesn't have; friends that care and stick up for each other and compassion."_

5 minutes later…

Baylene surprised everyone with a groan. Except for Aladar, Eema, and Url, everyone looked up at the sauropod then forward again.

"Oh joy. Blisters," she rolled her eyes.

"I've got blisters on my blisters," Eema went next.

"You don't want to know where I've got blisters," Yar spoke and sat up straight from where he was. Hazel giggled at that, guessing that his blisters were on his butt.

Everyone was caught off guard when a roar sounded nearby. The herd stopped abruptly and looked around the area. The sound was not a roar, but more of a low groan. It definitely came from something living. However, this one sounded like a cry for help. Well, that was what Hazel thought.

"What was that?" Eema said.

"It came from up ahead," Baylene lifted her head up to get a good look around the area.

"Okay, what's the worst thing it could be?" Zini asked, crouching behind the elder Styracosaur's head.

"A Carnotaur?" Suri guessed, cowering behind her uncle.

"Okay what's the second worst thing it could be?"

"Two Carnotaurs!" the Brachiosaurus screamed and started retreating the other way.

"That's it! I'm gone!" Eema seconded and followed her.

Hazel stared at them as they started to walk by. Unlike the two old women, she would rather stay and fight. Even though she was scared as well. The young girl placed her hand on her dagger's hilt, ready to unsheathe it. She then looked over at Aladar, whose head was turned at the group and waited for what he would do.

"Everybody! We don't know for sure," he said and walked on. "It could be the herd. Let's go check it out."j

"Goodness gracious," Baylene mumbled, keeping her head low at the group.

Reluctantly, everyone followed. Slowly, they inched towards the end of the pass. Both dinosaurs and human grouped together in case this was a predator. Hazel placed her hand on her dagger, ready to attack if this was a Carnotaur. She gulped and ran up to Aladar, who was slowly peering through the rocky corner. She did the same, standing just under him.

She gasped. Right there, struggling to move on and covered in deep bloody gashes, was Bruton. The lieutenant let out a groan as he tried to move again, attempting to climb up the rocky pathway. The hefty Iguanadon had one rear leg up because it had the a few distinct bite marks.

"Oh it's Bruton," Eema gasped, suddenly appearing right next to them.

"Guess we were not the only ones left behind…," the Brachiosaur followed.

After Bruton groaned again and nearly collapsed, Aladar walked on over to him. Hazel watched him go and followed. They stood next to the weakened dinosaur, who was apparently trying to ignore them.

"What happened?" Aladar wondered.

"Carnotaurs!" the Styracosaur figured and walked on. "Oh we should keep moving."

"We can't just leave him here!" Plio argued, wanting to help Bruton even though he was cruel to them.

"We can if we move fast enough!" Eema said and kept walking.

Hazel rolled her eyes at the old woman then stared at Bruton. Sure he had been a bully to her and to her friends, but Plio was right. They couldn't leave him like this.

"Hey, you don't look so good," Aladar said to him. "Here, let us help you."

Bruton sighed. "Save your pity. I just need some rest. Now get away from me!"

The dinosaur huffed at them and the group backed away. He failed to hear the small human give him a scoff.

"Suit yourself," the blue Iguanadon replied.

Again, Hazel rolled her eyes in irritation. "We were only trying to help. Geez!"

Good thing no one heard that. Streaks of light flashed above and a crash of thunder followed. Everyone winced at the sight and even took a step back in shock. Aladar and Hazel were looking up at the sky when a thump was heard right in front of them. They looked down and noticed Url had placed a chewed stalagmite at their feet. The Ankylosaur panted for a few seconds then gave the rock a nudge and a snort. The two watched him walk away to the east. When they did, they noticed him walking towards a wide cave entrance. The cave was illuminated for a few seconds by another streak of lightning. Aladar and Hazel looked at each other smiled. Afterwards, they looked at Bruton then followed Url.

"If you change your mind," Aladar started. "We'll be in those caves."

Hazel chuckled. "Better than a dog could ever be…"

With that said, everyone except for Bruton stepped inside the dark caves. Except for the cave entrance and the crashes of lightning, the atmosphere was pretty dark. The appearance is what any other cave was like: a combination of stalagmites and stalactites, water dripping from those rock formations, and of course…rocks everywhere. The cave was pretty huge though. There was more than enough space to fit everyone inside. Baylene had to crouch a bit just so that she wouldn't hit the ceiling.

"It's dark," Aladar said as they walked inside. Lightning crashed again, thus illuminating the place for a few seconds. "But at least it's dry."

"I like dry," Eema seconded with a slight quiver in her voice. She looked around the place and squinted, trying to take in the surroundings. "It's the dark part I'm having trouble with."

The Styracosaur screamed when she placed her foot on something in front of her. This caused the old woman to back up in surprise and the creature she stepped on to let out a shriek. The little guy known as Url shook it off and kept on walking, exploring the cave.

"Oh, sorry Url," she said then looked at her friends in the back. She gave them a grin and chuckled. "Sturdy little thing ain't he?"

Aladar smirked at that. Hazel did so as well but then heard soft footsteps outside. Not only that, but she also heard Baylene say something, whatever it was. Hazel wasn't exactly paying attention. She faced the entrance and noticed the rain coming down hard. Since when did it start raining? She guessed that it started once they all stepped inside. But that wasn't what intrigued her. In fact, the one dinosaur that she and Aladar tried to help earlier was limping right across the entrance. The gashes on Bruton's chest were clearly visible and the blood was dripping from the scratches. Everyone watched as he put his energy into going down the pathway, trying his best to catch up to the herd.

The hefty herbivore groaned and collapsed on the rain-covered ground. Hazel closed her eyes and shook her head as she proceeded to go out and help him. Sure he bullied them in the past but it would be wrong to just leave him out in the rain. However, she stopped and watched as Aladar walked passed her into the outside, beating the human to it.

Hazel observed the dinosaur talk to the fallen warrior. The young girl wanted to go outside and help him out, but she felt in her gut that she would be useless in that situation. Another minute passed and she watched the blue Iguanadon help the other to his feet. Bruton slowly got up and nearly fell back down. Aladar was about to help him when the lieutenant pushed him away with his head.

Slowly, the duo walked inside the cave, away from the falling rain. The water dripped from their scaly skins and the light making it look like they were shining. With a grunt, Bruton limped away from the group that was now huddled closely together on the left side of the cave and made way for the ledge at the right.

"Uh, you can lie down with us. It's warmer," Aladar told him.

Bruton did not look at him and kept walking up that ledge. He lumbered his way up the pile of rocks until he lay down, getting a good view of the entire cave and the entrance. He looked almost as if he were being a guardian, a selfish, confused, and arrogant guardian.

Hazel, who had already set her bag down in the middle of the family circle, watched the dinosaur look outside. She was about to face palm when she noticed Plio pass by her to a far corner of the cave. She looked to the left direction and noticed a cluster of green plants growing at one corner close to the ledge. Hazel followed her, wondering what the lemur had planned to do with plants like those. As soon as she got a little closer, she noticed that the plants looked like green cones in all shapes and sizes. Some were as tiny as a fingernail while others were as large as her palm. When Plio approached one and started picking it up, Hazel knelt down beside her.

"What's that?" the human asked, causing the lemur to turn around and look up at her.

"Something to help Bruton's wounds," was all she said and inspected the plant.

The human picked one up the size of her palm and observed it. It took a little bit of effort to pull it out, but she did so in a few seconds. It did have a conical shape and the leaves felt a little rubbery. The base was rocky and had tiny roots jutting out from the bottom. Hazel turned it around and also noticed the small opening at the top of the cone. She used her fingers to pry the leaves open a little bit and looked inside. She could clearly see some sort of liquid nestled within the plant, kind of looking like water. Except this liquid had a medicinal smell to it. To her, it smelled sweet and mild like cherry medicine, which made her want to vomit a bit because she hated cherry medicines. Hazel lowered it and saw Plio hopping away towards Bruton at the ledge.

"Need some help?" she asked, which made her stop to look at her.

Plio smiled at that. The human grabbed another plant about the same size and followed the lemur. She did not really pay attention to the conversation going on with the others. What happened a few hours ago was still bugging her a little bit. All that Hazel could make out from the conversation was getting to the Nesting Grounds, Eema wanting to give Kron a piece of her mind, and her telling Yar that sleeping like Url would make him dead. Which made Hazel giggle along with the group.

Both lemur and human climbed up the small slope leading up to the ledge where Bruton was at and stood in front of him. The dinosaur looked down at them warily.

"This plant grew on our island," Plio explained the dinosaur, who was staring at the plants in the two-leggeds' hands.

"It will make you feel better," she said, placing one paw into the plant and spreading the liquid onto his wounds.

Bruton flinched at the pain and braced himself while she spread the medicine onto his scratches. Hazel walked over to his main body and did the same thing. She had to open the leaves a little in order to have her hand fit inside. The liquid felt sticky and warm, like a sap from a tree. The human placed her wet hand onto the wounded dinosaur's injuries and spread the liquid. The process took a while, about fifteen minutes. Bruton grunting and wincing every time they spread more of the medicine onto his injuries. By the time they were done and the plants were spent, the lieutenant relaxed and heaved slow sighs.

Hazel placed both plants close to his chest and walked over to a nearby water pool to wash her hands, her back already at them. The pool was small, about two feet wide, and was a leftover of the water dripping from the stalactites above, but it was enough. The girl with dark hair knelt down and started rinsing her hands thoroughly. While she did, she heard Bruton start speaking to her lemur friend. Hazel slowed her pace to quiet the splashing to listen to the conversation.

"Why is he doing this?" Bruton started. "Pushing them on with false hope?"

When he said that, Hazel knew that the Iguanadon was talking about Aladar.

"It's hope that's what got us this far," Plio said.

"But why doesn't he let them accept their fate?" he swallowed. "I've accepted mine."

"And what is your fate?"

"To die here…" he said in a gruff voice with a hint of regret. "It's the way things are."

"Only if you give up Bruton. It's your choice, not your fate," Plio told him in a sweet reassuring voice.

It was at that statement that stunned Hazel. Plio was right. Everyone does have a choice on whether to give up or keep going. Back when Kron nearly injured Flia, Hazel thought that it was her fault that she almost lost her ability to fly. But that wasn't the case anymore. She only spoke what was from her heart and what felt right. Hazel did not cause Flia to step in front of her to take the blow, it was her choice. The Pteranodon chose to defend her partner rather than watch her get stomped to death.

Hazel gulped and lifted her hands slowly from the water. With a couple of flicks from her fingers, she slightly dried her hands off before standing up to leave.

"Well, the plant will help," was the last thing Plio said before hopping off.

The human looked behind her and saw the lemur make her way towards the group on the ground. She sighed and slowly followed after her. That was, until she was stopped by Bruton once she was within a few feet next to him, where Plio was at just a few minutes ago.

"Wait," he called to her.

Hazel looked to her left side at the wounded Iguanadon. She slightly squinted at him, showing a wary and stern expression.

"What?" she replied, carrying some scorn in her tone.

"You're helping me…after how I've treated you before?" he asked her.

The human closed her eyes and let out a small sigh. "Yes…is there a problem with that?" Hazel said before staring at him again.

"Why? I can see it in your eyes. You hate me."

"Hate is such a strong word…" she replied. "But it's more like, I don't like you and would avoid you at all costs."

Bruton let out a huff. "You're not answering my question."

Hazel rolled her eyes and sighed. "You were wounded. We couldn't just leave you there. That would be wrong."

A minute of silence passed between them. It wasn't an awkward silence, but Hazel was hoping that he would get her drift by now. When another thirty seconds passed, she scoffed in her mind and started explaining again.

"Look, we're all creatures of this earth. We live in the same world, we walk the same plane, and we breathe the same air."

Bruton scoffed and growled a little. "What are you getting at?"

"I'm saying, we all have a right to live. And besides…" she let out a small smile and placed a hand on her hip, where her dagger was. "I couldn't leave a brother behind."

"Brother?" the hefty herbivore lifted an eye ridge.

"Yeah. We may be different species, but we live in the same world, right?"

Hazel could tell that her statement shocked Bruton. All because she saw him retreat his head a little bit and widen his eyes. Hazel made a small smirk and turned away from him, satisfied that she made some sort of breakthrough to the stubborn second-in-command. She didn't say anything to him as she climbed down the slope. The girl knew that he needed some time to reflect on his actions and to think about what she and Plio said.

Bruton watched as the human made her way back to the mini-herd, who were falling asleep one by one. The dinosaur looked down at the nearest plant next to his hoof and sighed. He brought it close to him and stared out into the rain. The sounds of the falling water and the thunder crashing eased the atmosphere and soon became the only sounds that permeated the area…save for the snores that came from the others.

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Later that night…

A rumble was heard. It wasn't very clear at first, but the second one sounded louder. It was also alternating, as if it were large footsteps. At first, Aladar thought nothing of them and assumed that it was the thunder outside. He opened his eyes slightly before going back to sleep.

Another rumble. This time stronger than the last. Whatever was making those sounds was getting closer. Aladar opened his eyes fully and scanned the floor around him while in his lying position. He stared at the rocks next to his head and saw them clatter from the next tremor. The tremors even made the puddles in the cave ripple into multiple waves.

Aladar lifted his head up and gasped at what was standing in front of the cave. Beyond the falling rain and the newly made waterfall were two menacing horned carnivores. They sported a red and gray hide that had multiple small horns jutting out from it. Atop their box-shaped snout and dagger-like teeth were two very distinct horns. Being raised on an island, the blue Iguanadon has never seen creatures like these before. One thing was certain, they were in danger. If this era had a devil, these guys would definitely fill that position.

"Shh…" someone shushed next to him. Aladar looked beside him and saw Bruton come close. Both of them watched the carnivores stalk the entrance.

"Carnotaurs," was what the stout Iguanadon told him.

Outside, the bull-like carnivores sniffed at the air and the ground. Obviously, they already caught their scent. Both predators growled and stomped towards the cave.

"What do we do?" Aladar asked, still staring at the two carnivores.

"Wake the others," was all Bruton said before turning his back on him to leave.

He got up from his lying position and turned around. His friends were all still asleep, unaware on what was waiting for them outside. Slowly, he approached the first one closest to him…

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Hazel let out a moan. She was being disturbed from the best period of sleep she's had ever since she came to this time. What was waking her was a soft nudging, as if someone was trying to wake you up with an oversized foot. It stopped after a few seconds.

The human lay there on her sleeping bag. She lay on her left side, facing the entrance of the cave. Eyes still closed, she lifted her head up a little and rubbed her eyes with an arm before going back on the cushion.

Then, the shaking came back. She moaned and sat up, eyes still closed. Whoever or whatever was shaking her awake had stopped. Hazel rubbed her eyes with both hands and allowed the blanket to fall halfway to her lap. Her black hair remained down and relaxed on to her back, save for a small fraction of it on her right that rested on her shoulder.

"Morning already?" she yawned, still half asleep.

"No," the voice said. Hazel opened her weary eyes and saw that Aladar was looking at her a few inches from her face.

"We need to get moving. Now," he whispered urgently.

"Hm? Why?" Hazel said in a louder tone, having trouble restraining her curiosity.

"Shush! Quiet…" Aladar warned and looked at the entrance to the cave.

The human followed his gaze and slowly turned her head to the outside. Her eyes widened and she let out a quiet gasp at what he was looking at. The girl's mouth fell open and she started to tremble. Standing just outside the cave were two very hungry Carnotaurs. Hazel looked back at Aladar, who was also looking at her too.

"Help me wake the others," he told her before walking away to wake Eema nearby.

Hazel gulped and slowly got out of her sleeping bag. She did not really need to reply to that. Well she couldn't because those two behemoths stole her speech for the time being. The human quickly and quietly packed her belongings, strapped her dagger on her belt and helped wake everyone up.

It didn't take very long to get everyone moving. All she had to do was shake them awake, point at the entrance to show them why they needed to move, and that convinced them. And it only took a mere five minutes. Soon, everyone was creeping through the cave to get to the back tunnels. All of them climbed the rocks leading to the back as quickly and quietly as they could. Hazel helped Eema while Aladar moved on over to Url.

The Ankylosaur let out a loud moan that was mixed with a yawn. When he did, the sound reverberated through the cave and attracted the Carnotaurs' attention. Hazel quickly looked behind her and put a hand on her mouth to stifle a gasp. Aladar had to pin his mouth shut with a hoof in order to quiet him down. The blue dino stared at the entrance with fear and both remained still. A few seconds passed and the Carnotaurs continued sniffing.

All of them kept moving. At this point, everyone's heart was in their throats. Even Hazel could feel hers wanting to burst out of her chest. She climbed a few rocks and reached the tunnel entrance. There, she waited and stood in vigil at the right side to make sure everyone makes it inside. She could see everything from where she was. The entrance was large enough for Baylene to squeeze through and offers a good view of the entire cave entrance. Down the slope, the dinosaurs made their way towards her. If they could just make it inside the tunnel without making a lot of sound, they might stand a chance. Hazel hung on to that hope.

Well that plan was going to work…until Baylene accidentally bumped into the ceiling and caused a rock the size of a basketball to come tumbling down. Everyone stared in horror as the rock fell down. The rock bounced onto another, creating a loud sound and surprising Eema. Aladar gasped and ran up front to try and catch it. Unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough and the rock made it out in the rain.

Outside, one Carnotaur caught sight of the rock and bent down. It sniffed at the object and showed all of its teeth. The creature widening its mouth made it look like it was smirking, confirming their suspicions that something was moving within that cave. It let out a low growl before peeking its great horned head through the waterfall. Inside, it was dark and the air was still. Aladar remained quiet and made no sudden movements, hoping that the darkness would conceal them. That hope went awry when a lightning struck, illuminating the cave for a brief second and giving away their position. The Carnotaur roared and came bounding after the group. Aladar quickly got up and ran to the others.

"Go go! Hurry!" he yelled at them.

Hazel waved her hands and urged Baylene and Url to get inside. "Everybody inside! Come on!"

While she was preoccupied with getting the Brachiosaur and the Ankylosaur inside, Aladar was mostly focused on the slow moving Styracosaur who was just a few feet from the tunnel. Eema was having trouble getting up the rocky slope and her old age wasn't helping a lot.

"Move it Eema!" Aladar yelled and pushed the Styracosaur up.

But Eema had only made up by a foot. Aladar was harshly dragged away before she could take another step up that ledge. The Iguanadon screamed as the carnivore pulled him away from his friends and towards death below.

"Aladar!" Plio and Hazel screamed at the same time.

Adrenaline rushing through her veins, the human bounded after her soon to be eaten friend. She jumped down rocks and hurried to the main part of the cave. Behind her, everyone else was screaming as they watched the Carnotaurs prepare to make a meal out of him. Even Suri could not stop screaming and Plio watched helplessly as her adopted son was about to be eaten alive.

Hazel had made it onto the bottom of the ledge, close to where the three dinosaurs were. Aladar struggled against the carnivore's grip, but the bite on his tail was too hard. The human growled and picked up a few rocks close to her feet. Out of rage, she started chucking them at the attackers.

"Leave him alone you Tyrannosaurus rejects!" she screamed as she threw those rocks.

Most of the rocks missed their mark. Each one was about the size of a baseball. The Carnotaurs fought over who would have the first bite and Aladar lay pinned on the ground by a clawed foot. Some of them did hit the Carnotaurs, but only slightly. They either hit them on the chest or on the back, which did not really attract their attention. In her rage, Hazel could feel her energy dropping. All because she was throwing them too fast and each rock was heavy. Once out of ammo, she looked down to get some more. To her horror, there were none left that she could easily throw. Hazel looked around but found none. Then…she had an idea.

Hazel brought her dagger out of its sheath and stared into the smooth gleaming metal. The human was already out of options. Going in there now would only mean she would get eaten herself. Slashing away at the predators won't leave much of a mark on them. Unless… No, it was too risky. But Hazel knew that it was either this way or get eaten. Taking in a deep breath, she took a step back, reared her arm up, and threw the sword. The blade sailed through the air and somersaulted towards the Carnotaur towering over the struggling Aladar. Luck was on Hazel's side. The blade made contact with the Carnotaur and dug into its left eye.

The predator let out a scream and reared its huge head back. It shook its head wildly and flailed about, now blinded on one side. Hazel let out a cheer and ran down to her friend to help him up. She was even more surprised to see Bruton charge forward from out of nowhere and shoving the blind Carnotaur away. Aladar was helped by Hazel (who didn't really help that much because of her size) and both watched as the hefty warrior fought off the two predators.

"I'll hold them off! You help the others!" Bruton yelled at them.

Both turned around and ran up the nearby ledge leading to the tunnel. The blue Iguanadon easily scaled the rocky slope and made it into the tunnel. However, Hazel wasn't that fast. She was drained from trying to defend Aladar from the Carnotaurs. As she slowly climbed, she could tell that the battle behind her was getting even more chaotic.

Bruton let out roars, swiped his tail and hoofs at them in order to drive them off. The Carnotaurs lunged at the warrior in order to get a bite out of him or to send out roars themselves. When Hazel made it to the top, she could see Bruton getting driven back by the predators. Hazel watched him roar and send out arm swipes at the carnivores. She wanted to go in there and help, but what use is an unarmed and weak human?

"Bruton! Come on! Let's go!" she called from the tunnel entrance.

But he did not hear. He sent a tail swipe at the blinded Carnotaur, which crashed against a rocky pillar. Bruton looked up and saw the rocks falling from the ceiling. He looked back at them and charged with a roar. Hazel watched as he shoved that Carnotaur again and caused all of the rocks above to fall. She then knew what he planned…to entomb both predators and himself. The cave was soon in chaos as rocks and dust fell from above. The Carnotaurs shrieked madly and become bombarded by the falling rocks. Hazel could only watch helplessly as Bruton battled them in a rain of falling boulders.

"Bruton!" Aladar's voice called from above her.

Hazel glanced behind and saw the dinosaur call out to Bruton. How he had gotten there so quickly, she did not know nor even care. What was more important was helping Bruton. She wanted to go out and help, but doing so would only result in her getting squashed by the rocks. The girl covers her face and starts coughing wildly as the dust flowed into her lungs. Hazel backs away from the entrance, with her face still covered.

Outside, things weren't looking so good. Bruton was struggling to get to the tunnel but his injuries and the rocks were slowing him down. Aladar called out to him again and tried to reach out to him. In the process, he got hit by a few rocks on the head, which were not enough to knock him out.

"Bruton!" he calls again.

The dinosaur stumbled forward and ran. Using what remaining strength he had, Bruton made a push for the exit. But it wasn't enough. One boulder the size of his head impacted the back of his head, breaking his neck. Bruton fell, neck broken and buried under a mountain of debris. Within the sound of falling rubble, the rocks broke the rest of his bones. The sounds being covered by the fall.

"Bruton! No!" Aladar cries. More rocks fall and he gets hit in the process.

By the time the danger was over, dust covered the area. The cloud of dirt permeateed through the air in a makeshift fog. Both human and dinosaur made coughs and stumbled forward. What was once a large cave basin was now a mountain full of boulders.

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"Bruton!" Hazel's friend called the Iguanadon outside.

The human coughed out the last of the dust and wiped the dirt from her eyes. Once she put her arms down, she saw her friend Aladar make a beeline for the bottom of the debris pile. She followed him, hoping that the brave warrior that battled the Carnotaurs was alright. Thankfully, she escaped with a few scratches from the rocks. Hazel jumped down from various rocks until she reached the base of the boulder pile. She hurried down there, as she heard him moving rocks away. There she found Aladar, standing still and looking down.

Hazel walked up to him, breathing heavily and tired. She looked up and noticed Aladar, solemn and sad. Confused, she looked forward, and realized why he was so. Right in front of them, buried under a pile of rocks, was a dead Bruton. Most of his body was covered. The only uncovered portion was his head. The neck was bent too far back, beyond the normal extend point.

The human went down to one knee and looks down. A tear formed in her right eye. She put one arm on her knee and closed her eyes. She did not notice Plio appear from behind her and take on the sight.

"You did what you could," she told both of them.

"Bruton…you sacrificed yourself to save us…" Hazel said, choking back a tear.

"_He does have a heart after all…"_

Suddenly, a roar erupted from deep within the rubble. Hazel and Aladar looked up, anger apparent on their faces. The human looked around for a weapon she could use. She whirled around and saw the head of one of the Carnotaurs. Hazel approaches cautiously, but quickly. If it wasn't for the fact that the predator was dead that attracted her, it was the silver weapon that stuck out of its eye that did.

Hazel grabbed the hilt of the blade with her right hand. The metal was deeply imbedded into the eye, but with enough force, she successfully pulled the weapon out. Her dagger was seeped in fresh dripping blood. Hazel flicked some of the blood away, wiped the blood onto her purple tank top, and looked back at the pile of rubble. She nearly fell backward when a Carnotaur burst out from within the rubble.

The predator stomped out from the pile and looked at the pile. Lying at base was its dead partner, half buried in the rubble. Hazel eyed the Carnotaur, waiting for it to make a move towards them. Behind her, Aladar kept watching the rubble, anticipating any rocks that would fall on them. Dagger at the ready, the human went into a battle stance and prepared. But the fight never came. The bull-like dinosaur snorted and staggered to the exit. The beast let out a deafening roar before leaving, a sign that it would have its revenge.

_And Chapter 8 is done. :D Man if Nigel found out about this, Hazel would be in big trouble! Speaking of Nigel, I wonder how he's doing? Hm…well find out next time on Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Advenuture. Hope you enjoyed this chapter _


	9. Meanwhile

_Hey guys. I did promise the next chapter to this story. However, a lot of things happened this summer. Sorry for the hiatus. Anyway, this chapter will be a little different than the rest because Aladar and company won't be in it. Don't worry, they'll be back next chapter. __ Anyway, hope you enjoy this one. __**Disclaimer: I do not own Disney's Dinosaur nor Prehistoric Park.**_

**Soundtrack: Saving the World by Daniel Pemberton**

Back in the present…

Bob let out a sigh. He stood at the top of the viewing platform of the portal gate entry for the last 2 hours. He had already taken care of all the animals for the afternoon (at least until the evening where they'll need their dinner) and had nothing else to do. This was pretty much his break time. Most of the time, he would be relaxed and have a bit of fun with everybody else. But this time, he was bored.

It was a warm summer day. Save for a few wisps of clouds in the sky, it was a clear day. Life still goes on. The two Tyrannosaurus are almost fully grown, along with a change in attitudes. Matilda is getting more violent by the day the longer she stays with her brother, Terrence, so now they have been moved to separate enclosures, both located on opposite sides of the hill. Martha the mammoth is doing well with the elephant herd and is now serving as the nanny for the matriarch's calf. The sabertooths are doing very well too. The adults are relaxing under the shades in their enclosures and the two cubs are playing with a piece of meat just recently offered to them. The cubs, discovered to be boys, are now half the size of their parents. They even love to tackle and play with vet Suzanne, which she enjoys too. The Elasmotherium is already taken cared of thanks to Bob. He had loads of fun scooping his poop. Finally, Bob had finished preparing the open field close to the moved entrance for the herd that Nigel plans to rescue. Life goes on as normal. Everyone is happy. Except for Theo.

It had been three days since Nigel left the park on his own mission. Like the park keeper and Suzanne, he too was worried for Theo. He hadn't been his energetic self lately. He had been rather lethargic and uninterested, and some days depressed. Definitely not a normal description of a young adult Triceratops male.

For those last three days, Bob had been visiting the holding pens, waiting for his friend to return with a friend for Theo. The park had a few close calls with its residents and they did not want their first dinosaur to die of loneliness.

The middle-aged man scrunched his eyes and let out a tired yawn.

"Man, Nigel better get back here soon. I've been standing here for days. I think my feet are about to give way," he jokingly complained. This was a serious matter, but he did his best to keep the atmosphere optimistic.

Just when he said that, a familiar whirring sound echoed from nearby. The keeper looked behind him, away from the holding pens that he was staring at, and out into the clearing. There, spiraling in place and disappearing into a faded blur, was an open time portal. Bob smirked and rubbed his nose.

"Well it's about time!" he yelled with a laugh.

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15 minutes earlier…

Nigel parted the branches in front of him. The fern leaves gave way to reveal the rocky banks of a river. Tiny, palm sized gray rocks lined the shores of this river, one that would be perfect in a scenic forest setting. Right across the river was another forest like the one he was in. Tall maple trees stood at that side, serving as an outer wall of that part of the forest. The river flowed to the left direction, or if you looked at a map, the water would flow south. The current was subtle, no white foams of rapids were visible. But Nigel did not come here to admire the scenery.

The man heard a low groan off to his right. It was soft, but loud enough for him to hear. There, just about 20 feet away from where he was hiding and leaving the safety of the woods, was a herd of Triceratops.

Nigel had come to prehistoric western Canada for a reason. Like Hazel, he traveled back to the Late Cretaceous period to find a dinosaur and rescue it. Except his location and time were different. Unlike the young adult, Nigel traveled back 70 million years ago to find a female Triceratops. A smaller feat compared to the job he entrusted to his young partner, but an important mission nonetheless. And like Hazel, he did not opt for a camera crew to follow him, and for two reasons. One, the head cameraman was sick with the flu and two, most of the camera equipment was damaged in their last adventure and are being repaired. This didn't bother him at all. Finally, like Hazel, he was alone.

"All right…" Nigel whispered as he watched the ceratopsian herd approach the river.

To the explorer, there were about 40 or so Triceratops in this herd. There were the bulls, which had the large horns and colorful frills, the females which had the smaller, daintier horns and lacked the colored frills, and the juveniles. He had been trailing these dinosaurs for the last three days through a forest and multiple clearings. It was late summer and judging from what he had learned from his research, these horned herbivores are preparing for their journey south for the upcoming winter.

The front row of the herd was the first to make it to the bank. Some members waited behind the ones in the front for a turn while others decided to fan out to have their own drink space. As they did that, Nigel noticed one lone female making her way to the east away from the herd. Cautiously, the explorer tiptoed passed the busy Triceratops without bothering them and made his way to the lone female. He was being careful as to not make any noises with the rocks, as doing so would attract their attention. Like modern day rhinos, Triceratops have poor eyesight, but excellent hearing and smell. Once he got close enough, he backed to the edge of the woods and hid behind a tree trunk. Even though this female was alone, she was capable of putting up a fight. He watched as the ceratopsian dipped its mouth into the water, gulping in the cool liquid.

This Triceratops looked smaller than some of the females. Most likely because she was the runt of a litter or she was still growing. Either way, she looked to be about the same size as Theo.

It didn't take very long for Nigel to develop a plan. And it was a simple one. All he had to do was set up the gate close by then lure her to the portal. A risky endeavor, but it just might work.

"_Simple enough,"_ he thought to himself, the risks of the plan going awry bothering him in the back of his mind.

The man grabbed a handful of ferns close by and proceeded on towards the edge of the herd. He was careful as to not attract any of their attention, otherwise no good would come out of it. He quietly crept behind the herd until he was at the edge, where the oblivious female stood. Nigel then placed the ferns on the ground and then his backpack. After carefully taking out the silver metallic posts inside the large back pocket, he quickly set them up on opposite sides of each other. Because the bank was rocky, it took a bit of force to implant them. Once he readied the posts, Nigel grabbed the ferns and his bag and slowly approached the herbivore until he was about ten feet away.

"_This is too easy,"_ he thought in wonder. _"The herd and I narrowly escaped some Albertosaurus yesterday. And I haven't seen any today. I find it hard to believe that nothing bad would be happening now."_

Then, just as things seemed easy, Nigel's luck goes downhill. Some movement in the water caught his attention off to his left. The explorer turned his head slightly and looked in that direction. To his surprise, a long, flat head with a narrow snout was slowly approaching the female. This creature didn't pay any mind to the rest of the herd, only the lone female. There can be no doubt that this was a prehistoric crocodile. Nigel noticed that its head was significantly smaller than that of the Sarchosuchus back at the park and this was a later time period than when he had found the predator. The creature had sharp pointed teeth sticking out of its jaws, like that of a crocodile's, and tannish clay colored skin.

"Deinosuchus," was all the man could utter.

Nigel's objective was clear. He had to get the Triceratops through the portal before the predator could get to her. Even with the predator approaching, Nigel was glad that there was only one and not multiple. If things at the park were ideal, he would try to bring both predator and prey back with him. But if he did, then he'd have to find a different location for the crocodilian. Putting it in the same place as the Sarchosuchus would only result in them fighting. That and rescuing the Triceratops was more important.

"Okay, time to do this."

The man began waving the ferns in front of the herbivore. The Triceratops caught sight of the plant off the corner of her eye and quickly brought her head up. She turned to face him and let out a series of low bellows. The female took one step towards him and sniffed the ferns. To her, this creature didn't seem like much of a threat, and the plants he was holding looked like a tasty treat.

One by one, the Triceratops approached the human, stepping away from the water's edge and from the Deinosuchus. When she did, Nigel would take a step back, slowly approaching the awaiting time portal, which was about twenty feet away from them. Every time the female got close to the ancient flora, she would try to snap her beaked mouth on them. However, Nigel would just wave them out of her reach and take another step back.

Just when things were going smoothly, the Deinosuchus nearby lumbered out of the water and onto shore. Apparently, it wasn't leaving until its meal is in those massive jaws. The predator let out a hiss and quickly crawled its way towards the escaping duo. The herd nearby let out a series of bellows and shrieks as the crocodile approached the female. The group quickly formed into a protective circle formation, where the juveniles were safely kept inside while the adults defended them.

Nigel wanted to smack his head at this. So much for stealth because the commotion occurring nearby had caused the lone dinosaur to look behind her. The Triceratops let out a shriek and turned to face the attacker. The Deinosuchus was about a car's length away from the duo, which set the scene for a standoff.

"Oh no. No no no no no…don't face the predator!" Nigel urged with frustration. At that moment, he had wished Hazel was with him. If she was with him, this situation would have gone more smoothly.

The man tried waving the ferns in front of him again, hoping to catch her attention. But to no avail. The two creatures were squaring off. They pushed the gap between them back and forth as they attempted to land a hit on each other. The female was doing a good job of holding her own against it, but the Deinosuchus was lunging itself at her. Which as a result, pushed her closer to the portal. Nigel smirked, seeing this as an advantage. It seemed that the female was not much of an experienced fighter.

Nigel dug into his right pocket and found the remote that activated the time portal. He pressed the large button in the middle of the square controller and the portal behind him roared to life. The man also dropped the ferns he held, knowing that they wouldn't be of much use at this point.

The crocodilian let out another hiss and lunged forward. This time, its weight was off the ground and the tail waving wildly behind it. The female turned tail and ran away from the predator, which was coming towards them at top speed.

Nigel broke into a sprint and ran for the portal directly behind him. The man breathed quickly and could feel his own heart beating as he sprinted towards his escape route. Behind him, he could hear the rumble of the Triceratops quickly charging towards him and the portal. Nigel did not stop and made it into the rippling vortex, the dinosaur hot on his tail. The Triceratops made it through and escaped, leaving a dumbfounded and exhausted Deinosuchus to slump back onto the rocky shore. The giant watched as the vortex disappeared before its very eyes.

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"Well it's about time!" Nigel heard as he ran out of the portal.

He did not pay look up at the viewing platform to greet Bob. He had more pressing matters at hand. Like getting a frightened and rampaging Triceratops into a holding pen before he'd get trampled over.

"Sorry Bob!" he yelled hurriedly. "Can't talk now!"

"What!?" the keeper yelled at him.

He furrowed his eyebrows at him and wondered on what on earth he had gotten himself into. But he didn't have to think about it for very long. Bob looked back at the portal and was amazed to see a charging Triceratops coming after Nigel.

"Oh…" Bob widened his eyes. "Everyone get the holding pen ready!"

The man alerted everyone in the area. Within seconds, the holding pen in front of the now closed portal was all in a flurry. Thankfully, the holding pen was open in the first place. Once Nigel made it into the pen along with the bellowing Triceratops, he hurried over to the other end of the pen. The dinosaur stopped in the middle of the area, looking wildly from left to right at the new surroundings. She let out grunts, groans, and snorts as she looked around. As she did that, Nigel climbed the ladder at the other end and joined Bob at the left balcony.

"Whew…" Nigel breathed and let out a laugh. "That was fun."

"Nigel, what on earth happened back there?" Bob looked at him with curiosity.

"Well you know, the usual. Big dinosaurs, never seen a human before, all that sort of thing."

"Yeah right," the man laughed. "Chased by something?"

"Deinosuchus," Nigel replied.

"Ah…" Bob nodded. "Big crocodile thing. Well at least you brought this one in. A real beauty too."

Both men watched as a crane gently dropped some ferns in front of the Triceratops. The creature let out a soft groan and gave it a few sniffs before eating away at the vegetation. Nigel smirked, remembering that Hazel loved it whenever a new dinosaur was rescued. She always had a desire for adventure.

"You know," the bald man started. "I bet Hazel would have loved to see this."

"Yeah," was all the park creator could say.

He kept his cool whenever anybody mentioned the young girl. She has been gone for a while and everyone started to ask questions. Nigel merely told them answers such as 'she's out of town', 'she's working on an assignment', and 'she's on a research trip'. All of which were vague responses, but partial truths. Even Bob and Suzanne had been wondering where went off to.

"Speaking of which, where exactly did she go to?" Bob asked, facing Nigel.

The explorer shook his head. "Bob I told you, she's working on an assignment that I've given to her."

The keeper lifted and eyebrow and eyed him suspiciously. "Uh huh, and that would be?"

"That's classified."

"No no," Bob waved his hand in front of him. "Don't give me that. I know you Nigel. You're hiding something. Now tell me, what is it?"

"Bob…" he sighed and gripped the railings. "This is just something between me and her. I can't tell you details, but what I can tell you is that it's got something to do with that expanded field we're preparing."

"All right," Bob let out a cough. "So it's got something to do with your plans of rescuing a herd. But that doesn't explain Hazel's whereabouts."

Nigel kept smiling and looked up at the sky then back at him. "If you're wondering how she is, she's fine."

"Nigel," the man got a bit closer to him. "Me and Suzanne, we're just looking out for her. She's just…so young."

He nodded at that and was about to say something but was then interrupted by Bob.

"You knew her father. He was a good man."

"Yes," Nigel looked down and watched the herbivore feast on the salad it was given. "He helped me create this place. Then died a year after construction was completed."

"Then Hazel came shortly afterwards," Bob added to that. "It was her father's wish to send her here."

"Mostly because she kept begging him," the man with the gray vest said.

Both laughed at that and was then followed by a minute of silence.

"Come on Nigel. At least tell me and Suzanne. We can keep it a secret."

Nigel thought for a moment then let out a sigh. They had been continuously asking him. Like him, they both care for Hazel. They are, after all, pretty much family to her. That and they have a right to know too.

"All right," he faced him. "…I sent her back 65 million years ago to rescue a herd of dinosaurs."

Bob's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. The keeper stared at him in utter shock. For the next minute, he stammered at what he tried to say next. After a few attempts to get a word out, he uttered one sentence.

"Is she with anybody?"

The park creator closed his eyes and shook his head. It was at that moment that Bob wanted to smack him in the face.

"You idiot!" he gritted his teeth and yelled, but not enough to attract anyone's attention. "You sent a little girl back to the time of the meteor strike without any backup!?"

Nigel merely stared at him with indifference. He was expecting this kind of response and he had prepared himself for it.

"What on earth are you thinking!? Are you crazy!?" Bob had his hands up close to his face, wanting to crush the man's skull.

"Now now Bob. Let me explain," he placed his hands on the broad shoulders of his friend. "I've been checking up with Hazel regularly. Don't worry, she is fine."

"But!"

"Just trust me. She's okay. I've trained her for something like this. Hazel can take care of herself. And if she doesn't come back within the next two days, I'll go back and get her."

Bob relaxed at that statement and let out a gruff sigh. "How long until the meteor strike then? Where she's at."

The man gave him a vague answer, keeping his mental promise not to tell anyone else his guarded secret. "A long way off. A year, maybe two, before impact."

The keeper placed a hand on his forehead and rubbed the sweat from his brow. The words from his friend eased his worries.

"Okay…well at least she's all right. What of any predators?"

"Nah don't worry about that. You know Hazel. She's got ways to defend herself."

Bob nodded at that then faced Nigel.

"Just keep to that promise. And you're lucky that I went easy on you. Suzanne…well you'd better prepare yourself for that," he warned.

Nigel smirked and patted Bob on the shoulder. This man had faced dozens of dangers before: Tyrannosaurs, Velociraptors, volcanic eruptions, saber-toothed cats, a terror bird, giant insects, heck even a meteor strike. How hard can convincing a park veterinarian that a young girl like Hazel is in the past alone be? 

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At the same time…

65 million years ago

The sun beat down on the herd as they traversed the scorching hot rocky pass. It had been a day since Aladar and his group had been left behind. The dinosaurs had been going at a slower pace than usual. Although they were already a considerable distance from the Carnotaurs, well Carnotaur in this case, the herd pushed onward, with no rest. Dehydration and exhaustion were taking their tolls on them. So far, three members had already dropped from one or both factors. Kron, the stubborn and uncaring leader that he is, pushed them onward without thinking of the fallen others.

Flia flew about a hundred feet above the herd. The confrontation yesterday did not hinder her ability to fly. Although her worries for her friends have not diminished. In the back of her mind, she wanted to turn around and look for them, but the Pteranodon knew that Hazel wouldn't want that. As much as Flia hated the idea, the human had a point. The herd needed a scout in the air. It was good that Kron spared her, but she wished that she didn't have to scout now. The sun's rays were roasting her back and the gentle breeze did not do much to help her.

Slowly, the herd trudged through the pass. Each of their tracks were left in the sand and caused dust to float above their feet. The view above the herd gave Flia a good perspective over the area. So far, now predators were nearby, but neither was any food or water. However, she knew this area well. The Nesting Grounds was only about another day away. She hoped that the tracks the herd left behind would help her friends get to the Nesting Grounds.

Just then, Flia's concentration was broken when she heard a series of squeals below. The pterosaur flew lower and found the situation; at the back of the herd were the twin Iguanadons that always stayed at Neera's side. One of them, the younger one, had collapsed out of exhaustion. The elder twin squealed frantically at the herd, hoping to get anyone's help. Sadly, none came. Flia stopped descending just a few feet away to their left and landed nimbly. She then walked on her wings and legs towards them, wanting to help. Flia watched the elder one attempt to support his twin up, but to no avail.

The Pteranodon saw movement out of the corner of her left eye and saw a shape approach them, one that had purple colored scales. At first, she expected it to be Kron, coming over to end their misery. She prepared to attack the figure, to defend these children. But Flia's guess was far from that. She stopped as the figure passed by her. Now, standing just close by to them, was Neera. The female Iguanadon stood before them and lowered her head until she was at their level. The youngsters looked up at her

"It's okay little ones," she reassured.

Both twins, and the female Pteranodon, looked at her. A few seconds of silence fell on them before she started speaking again.

"We're going to make it."

Neera then circled around until she was behind them, lowered her head again and nudged the fallen twin up. The little one let out a small squeal as he got up and then another when she gently pushed him. The two dinosaurs looked back at her before getting back with the herd. Neera, on the other hand, did not join them. She craned her head back and looked to the path behind her, hoping that the others, especially Aladar, was there. Neera frowned, let out a sad sigh, and looked down.

She heard movement and looked to her left. Approaching her was the slightly bigger form of Flia. The Pteranodon walked until she was standing beside her. They made eye contact before the Iguanadon looked back down.

"Are you alright?" Flia asked her.

"Yes…I'm fine."

The flyer looked at the path behind them and sighed. "I know how you feel. I too am worried about them."

Neera did not reply to that. She was thinking about them, hoping that they were okay.

Flia then touched the sad one's snout and gently stroked her. "But you mustn't lose faith. Everything will be all right."

The dinosaur then looked up at her and gave her a small smile. Although worry was still etched on her face.

"You're right," she replied and raised her head back up. "Come on, we should get back to the herd."

Flia watched as Neera walked on without her. She was about to follow when she felt a soreness on her arms. The female pterosaur winced at the pain and slightly extended her wings. When she did, the sensation permeated throughout the wingspan. She quickly put her arms down and realized something. She had been flying for half the day and did not have any sort of rest. She didn't pay any mind to that sensation until now. That was how tired she was.

"Wait!" she called Neera.

The leader's sister stopped walking and looked back at her. Flia tried moving again but only invoked the soreness in her arms. The pterosaur stayed where she was and spoke from there.

"Um, I've been flying for a while now. And my wings ache. Would...you mind if I rested on your back until they recover?"

Neera shook her head and smiled. "Not at all."

With that said, she returned to where Flia was. Once there, she faced her and then turned slightly, having her right side in front of the pterosaur. Neera lowered herself until she was on her belly, on the warm dirt. Using the strength Flia had now and ignoring the pain, she flapped her wings and hovered until she was on her friend's back. Her landing wasn't as nimble as before, but at least she was already off the ground. Once she was on, Neera slowly got up and started walking north. The Pteranodon, now glad that she could finally rest for a while, folded her wings across her chest and closed her eyes.

_And voila! Chapter 9. Sorry about the wait. A lot of things happened this summer and I haven't really been writing as much. So now we know what's happening to everybody else. But what of Hazel and the others? What ordeals await them in the near future? Find out next time on Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure._


	10. Broken Spirit

_Hello people, Darksage95 here. Yeah you're wondering where I've been. Well I took a vacation down in Florida and then school started right afterwards. Sorry about the break. Anyway, summer's been good and the story ideas are still fresh in my mind. __**Disclaimer: I do not own Disney's Dinosaur or Prehistoric Park or any of those productions. **__So, without further ado…let's get it started! _

**Breakout by James Newton Howard (extended pause after 37 seconds, then resumes)**

Deep in the cave…

It's been days since the Carnotaur attack. Or at least that's what everyone kept thinking. It's only been half a day since that time. The network of tunnels were so long and winding that everyone had lost track of time. That and there was no hole or gap in the ceiling to tell them otherwise. On and on, they kept walking, only stopping every now and then for a few minutes rest.

The cave was dark. No form of light permeated from the walls or from the ceiling above. That and there wasn't fresh oxygen going around, save for the only opening from where they came in. There was nothing in this cave, except for rocks and darkness. The tunnels had series of stalagmites and stalactites everywhere, making it a little difficult to maneuver if you're a towering herbivore like Baylene. However, rock formations and darkness did not stop the group. Well…almost.

Hazel wasn't having the best time. Unlike her friends, she did not have their adaptation of sight in complete darkness. A few hours prior, she kept tripping over cracks, rocks, and occasionally bumping into one of the dinosaurs. She was grateful that she did not bump into Url. Because of her limited vision, she had to rely on her sense of touch and hearing. It was somewhat embarrassing because she had to keep a hand on either Aladar or Eema as her guides, which made her think that they thought of her as clingy, like a child to its mother. She also rode on Aladar for a short period of time, which still gave her those same uncomfortable feelings. Well she had had enough and decided to help herself, even though she knew the consequences.

"Hey Hazel! Where'd you run off to?" Zini said up front. The tunnels were so vast that any sound created would echo.

"I'm back here!" the human replied, just a few feet behind them. "I'll be up there in a minute!"

Hazel had been rummaging through her backpack, looking for anything that would help her see in this cave. For the past two minutes, she had been kneeling down on the rocky floor, her knees now decorated with puncture marks from the tiny rocks. Even though the pain from the sharp pebbles stung her, she did her best to ignore it. Hazel hurriedly searched through her bag, first in the front pockets and now in the main back compartment. She could not see and therefore had to rely on her sense of touch. Hazel wanted to use her phone, but did not want to as she may lose it in the dark. However, it wasn't long until she found what she had been looking for. The girl smiled and grabbed the small and smooth object from deep within the bag. It was small, only about six inches in length, but it was the one thing she needed. The metal felt cold and the object was heavy. The object also had a rough texture that circulated around the body, making it easy for gripping. Hazel gripped the object in her right hand and took it out. She then quickly zipped up her bags, got up, and ran over to her friends while taking care as to not to trip. All the dinosaurs stopped walking and turned to look at her.

"Heh, sorry about that," Hazel chuckled and breathed, her smile still on her face.

"What were you up to back there?" Eema asked.

"Oh nothing. Except for the fact that I just found something useful in this situation."

"Useful?" the Styracosaur went again. All of the dinosaurs looked at the object she was holding in her hand, whatever it was. The human held the cylindrical shape up until it was at about her eye level. The wide part of it was facing the ceiling above. "That little stick you got there?"

"Yup," the human nodded.

"_I wish I didn't have to do this, but I don't really have much of a choice…"_ Hazel thought with guilt and worry.

"Alright, let there be light!" she announced and flipped the switch.

Immediately when she did that, the flashlight turned on and a beam of white light shot out from the lens. The girl had made sure to focus the light upwards at the ceiling, to avoid blinding any of her friends. As Hazel expected, her friends gasped and took a step away from the human and the unknown item. The lemurs were surprised too. Zini and Suri were riding on Baylene's head while Plio and Yar were on Eema. The yellow-furred lemur on the sauropod yelled and fell on to his back. Luckily, Baylene's ridged head had saved him (and Suri) from tumbling down her neck. Plio and Suri were surprised at first but was then replaced by curiosity. Yar on the other hand had let out a little scream, in fact, he nearly had a heart attack at the sight of the ray.

"Whoa!" Aladar exclaimed.

"Oh my goodness!" Baylene said next. She stared at the object in Hazel's hand and then craned her neck up to observe the ring of light.

"What in the world is that!?" Yar yelled, pointing a finger at the thing momentarily then placing it back on his heart.

"Oh this thing?" Hazel waved the flashlight from side to side once. "It's a flashlight."

"A what now?" Zini asked, slowly getting up and peering over from Baylene's snout.

"A flashlight. It's something my people use to see in the dark."

"Well that thing scared the living daylights out of me!" the elder lemur complained.

The human shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry."

"So how did you get light in that stick?" Suri, who had already climbed down the Brachiosaurus' back and sat at the base of her neck, asked.

"Um…" Hazel nervously chuckled. "That is actually hard to explain."

"Well it is very peculiar…" Baylene said while still staring up at the ceiling where the light was. The illuminated circle was about seven feet in diameter. The ends of the circle were dimmed and made the circle look a little longer and did not light up that portion of the ceiling as much.

"So why do you have that now?" Aladar, who had not spoken the entire time, questioned.

"Oh. I'm not equipped with any natural night vision unfortunately. You guys are though. My kind doesn't have that kind of luxury. We aren't adapted that way, unless there was another source of light to help us out."

"Huh? Say wha?" Eema lifted an eye ridge.

The girl sighed, closed her eyes, and smirked before looking at them again. "I can't see in the dark."

"Humph. It's like each day, you bring in something that we haven't seen before," Yar huffed. "I don't know if it's just me, but I think there's something you're not telling us. My gut is saying so."

Silence fell on them for the last minute. Hazel knew the situation was getting awkward and a round of 20 Q would start coming. The situation got even more awkward when they were all staring at her. Hazel felt sweat drops falling down to her cheeks. The fear of her friends finding out grew within her and her heart pumped 3 times as fast. She wasn't in the mood for that and this wasn't the best place to do it.

Hazel cleared her throat and put the hair strand that was in front of her face behind her right ear. "We should get going. I've got the light so I'll lead the way."

With that said, she focused her light ahead and ran up front. She then slowed her pace when she was just a few feet in front of the group. Relief came over her when none of them spoke a word about it after a few minutes.

"_God geez!"_ the human mentally screamed at herself. _"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up…"_

As they walked, the tunnels became easier to maneuver through. The obstacles on the ground and on the ceiling became less numerous as they walked on. During that time, Hazel contemplated about what had happened earlier. She knew that she needed that flashlight because it would decrease any risks of getting hurt in the cave, but at the same time she knew that her friends would start wondering. She had not forgotten what Nigel had told her, about being honest with her friends and telling them the truth. That fear of her friends treating her like an outcast and an alien haunted her ever since she first travelled with the herd. But that time was inevitable. She knew that telling them would be the right thing to do, but not now. The priority right now is to get out of this cave.

"_Later…I'll tell them,"_ Hazel thought, now dreading the time when she would reveal the truth.

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Sometime later…

"Okay let's…let's do it again. Let's do it again," Zini said as he prepared another round of his game of I Spy.

"Um, I spy…with my little eye…"

"A rock," Yar quickly answered with little enthusiasm. And he was right…that was all they were seeing in this cave. In fact, he had won the last five times in this game all because of that answer.

"You got it again!" the yellow-furred lemur exclaimed.

Zini pointed at Yar for a second then relaxed. "Ooh you are good!"

This game had been going on for the last 20 minutes. Hazel, who had remained at the front the entire time, couldn't help but chuckle at the entertainment in the back. Unfortunately, that fun moment ended when her light shined on a disappointing sight. The human furrowed her eyebrows and slowly waved her flashlight up and down before running ahead. She ran and then stopped until she was at the base of the obstacle. Hazel looked up and let out an aggravated sigh.

"Hey how about this? I Spy…with both of my eyes…something blocking our way?" Hazel, while hiding her disappointment and not looking at her friends, said.

"Um…" Zini reclined on Baylene's snout a bit and thought about it before answering. "A rock?"

The human shined the light at the base of the wall and then made its path up slowly.

"…Not even close," she mentioned.

"Well I'll tell you what I spy," Eema supported her. "A dead…end."

Right when she said that, the other dinosaurs stopped walking until they were in front of the wall. Hazel backed up a few steps until she was lined up with Aladar. After all that time walking through the cave to find a way out, this was what they got for their efforts?

Hazel clenched her teeth and fists and looked away. At that moment, disappointment overcame her. They had walked for so long and now they have to walk back. This cave has a network of tunnels and cavers. Finding a way out would take a few days. Perhaps a week. That was time that she wasn't sure either of them had. In her mind, she was at the brink of giving up.

"What do we do now?" Yar asked, hopelessness in his voice.

Aladar looked down and turned around. "I guess we just go back…"

Hazel, who had stayed quiet from that, silently agreed. She placed her bag down and knelt. When she did, she was about to open the large back pocket of her bag…where the time poles were. If they were to wander these tunnels until they die, then she wouldn't let that happen.

"_Why walk all the way back just to find another exit? I've got one here…"_ the human thought with slight regret.

Her mission was to bring back a herd of dinosaurs. But if she brought her friends back now, then finding the herd would be impossible as she would not know where to start looking when she returned. They could be on the other side of the country by now! Or…they could be dead. Hazel contemplated about that decision. Right when she was about to touch the back pocket, something in the back of her mind made her pull her hand back. She had already revealed her flashlight to her friends. If she showed them the item that held her biggest secret…no she couldn't do it. Now wasn't the time for that. Hazel sighed and carried the bag again.

"Hold on a minute…" he said, dismounting from Baylene's back and hopping over to the base of the wall. When he did, he started sniffing the air.

"Zini?" Suri followed him. "What is it?"

The lemur faced his niece with a smile. "Do you smell that?"

Suri sniffed the air as well and grinned. "Yeah!"

Both lemurs traversed the boulders and reached a certain point in the wall. Hazel followed the sounds of their movement until she found them on that portion of the wall. Zini and Suri paid no mind to the light, although the brightness helped Zini dig a little deeper into the wall. As they dug, Hazel couldn't help but wonder as to what they were smelling. Hazel, having the curious mind as well, sniffed the air twice. Unfortunately, she couldn't get a scent.

"Smell what? I don't smell anything."

At the same time, Aladar sniffed the air and walked over to the base of the wall. He stopped to look up and watched as two of his family members investigated a small gap in between two boulders. Zini dug with his paws until suddenly, the small rocks gave way and a small ray emitted from the hole. Everyone gasped at the sight and took a step back.

"Whoa!" Hazel jumped and turned her flashlight away from the area.

"Get a load of that!" Eema went next.

"Good show!" Baylene commented.

"Everybody stand back!" Aladar reared back a bit then bounded for the wall. "We're outta here!"

The Iguanadon made it to the base and started shoving one boulder. His shoulder and left arm touched the boulder and pushed with all his strength. The dinosaur strained from all the weight and gritted his teeth. The boulder did move a little, but at a price. Above him, the rocks started to fall like the inside of a sand pit. At first, it was tiny rocks dropping down, and then it turned into large boulders. The sound of the falling boulders was deafening.

Zini and Suri screamed where they were at and hopped away from the wall. Hazel pointed her light up and watched as the ceiling started to crumble. She gasped when she saw one large boulder detach from a portion of the ceiling and make its way towards the unsuspecting Iguanadon.

"Aladar! Above you!" she screamed at him.

In response, Aladar jumped back and landed on his right side. The large boulder crashed onto the floor, the sharpest side of the rock hitting the ground. If not for Hazel's warning, Aladar would have been crushed and stabbed. The entire group watched in horror as the dust and rocks fell down, covering the light that was their one hope of escaping. Once the rocks had settled, the cave had once again become a silent tomb.

Aladar looked down and shook his head before screaming. "NO!"

He got up and rammed against the rocks again, hoping to make them budge. His efforts were in vain, as none of the rocks moved an inch. The Iguanadon groaned as he pushed against the rocks, but then relaxed. Aladar then looked back at his friends, who in turn were looking down at the floor or staring at him.

Angrily, he let out a deep roar and started hitting the rocks with his weight. Hazel, who had looked away from the sight, noticed Plio pass by her and slowly make her way to her adopted son. The human followed as well until she was right behind her. Aladar kept hitting the rocks for another minute or so before stopping. In despair, he stood there, leaning against the rock, defeated and taking in deep breaths.

Plio slowly approached and stared up at him. "Aladar," she calmly told him. "We'll go back."

"Back to what? It's gone…" he growled. He looked down at his adopted mother then looked away. "There's no other way…"

The female lemur turned away and hopped back, leaving Aladar without a response.

Hazel stared at the Iguanadon in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Just a few days ago, this dinosaur helped her in the desert and carried her. And now… The human rushed up to Aladar until she stood at the same place Plio was. She wasn't very good at giving moral support, but right now, her friend needs some of it.

"Wha? That's it? We're just giving up?" Hazel questioned him, utter shock still in her tone.

No answer came from the dinosaur. The girl clenched her fists, the metal on the flashlight already warm on her.

"There has to be a way to bring that wall down," she said with hope.

"There isn't," Aladar replied with no emotion. He did not even glance at her. "We're as good as dead."

Hazel opened her left hand and stretched her arms out. "But we've come this far! Freedom is just beyond those rocks! We have to keep trying!"

"Hazel, there's no way to break through. And if we turned back, we'd be walking up to that Carnotaur. We're not meant to survive..." he despairingly replied without looking at her.

The Iguanadon's words stung her. Hope had been met with defeat. Hazel looked down, closed her eyes and shook her head before returning her gaze at her friend. She expected that tactic not to work, so she had another one up her sleeve. She hoped that it would at least get some sense into him.

"Huh, well that's weird. There was some traveler a few days ago that helped me out when I was about to give up. He was strong; the desert didn't stop him, nor did the lack of resources, or the constant bullying of a jerkish herd leader. He was no quitter!" she yelled at him.

Aladar lifted his head up a little and turned slightly to the human. He could clearly see the anger and disappointment on her face. He was about to say something when Hazel beat him to it.

"And now, right when you said those words, you just proved me wrong. I thought you would be more than this Aladar!" Hazel was taking in deep breaths, a sign that she was venting out her frustration. Her shoulders rose up and down and angry eyes stared at him.

If what she had said earlier was hurtful, this was much worse. Those words were, metaphorically speaking, a smack to the face. Aladar couldn't believe what he had just heard. From someone who was significantly smaller than him, this girl had strength. Not brute force, but with her mind.

Hazel was about to continue her moral support when Baylene suddenly stepped in. The Brachiosaurus slowly approached him and had her head to his level. Her eyes were full of determination. Hazel watched as Baylene gave him her own lecture.

"She is right, you know. We're here, aren't we? And how dare you waste that good fortune, by simply giving up. Well shame on you. Shame on you! Shame on you!" she retorted.

"The worst of it is, you allowed an old fool like me to believe that I was needed. That I still had a purpose!" Baylene continued.

The sauropod's voice calmed down. "And do you know what?"

Aladar looked up at her, still silent.

"You were right. Well I'm going to go on believing it," she answered her own question. She then shook her head and spoke in a louder tone. "Well I for one am not willing to die here!"

With that said, she reared back on her back legs and let out a low growl. The rumble she let out then transformed into a louder one, like a battle cry. Aladar saw this and got out of the way. He proceeded over to where the young human was and watched the spectacle. Baylene used her own weight and slammed her front feet onto the wall of rocks. One slam after another, she continued her assault on the obstacle. Eema observed her friend go at it for another minute before she too joined in.

Hazel watched in amazement as the two elders worked to bring the wall down. To make the situation even more interesting, Url joined in and started pulling small rocks away. She squinted and then looked up to her right, where Aladar was. He saw this and looked down at her. The angry look had returned in her expression.

"Hazel…" he tried to talk to her but was interrupted by the human.

"It's your choice on whether you'd rather rot in this cave or not. You do what you think is right. As for me…" Hazel said, leaving Aladar with a choice that added on to the lectures she and Baylene gave him. The human bounded forward towards the wall and left the Iguanadon behind.

"I'm getting out of here!"

Right when she said that, she put the flashlight up to her mouth and held the bottom end with her teeth. After doing so, she assisted the small Ankylosaur with pulling rocks and rolling a few boulders away. Hazel knew that what she was doing was risky. She could get squashed by any falling rocks. But that did not stop her. Every rock that she pulled or threw away ended with a yell of effort from her. She wasn't strong enough to bring it down, but at least she could help Url out.

Aladar observed his friends chip away at the rocks. Minutes had passed and he had not done anything. The words of both Hazel and Baylene burned his mind. Hurtful as they were, they were right. They gave him strength. With a roar he rushed over to the wall and gave it one last push.

Hazel saw this after throwing a rock away and smiled, even though the flashlight was still in her mouth. She put both of her hands at the wall and pushed as well, right next to Aladar on his right. With a battle cry, she side stomp kicked the wall. A foolish move on her part and it wasn't actually needed. When she made contact, the wall gave way. Hazel fell on to her left leg and quickly regained her footing. Thankfully, it wasn't hurt.

Everyone was greeted by bright sun rays. Dust covered the entire area and no one could see what was in front of them; only light. All of them slowly walked out into the light, away from the darkness of the cave that almost became their tomb.

"Oh dear…" Baylene breathed as she slowly walked out.

The lemurs, who had been behind the dinosaurs and human the entire time, went to the front of the group to get a better view. Hazel had her left hand up, which partially covered her eyes to block the sunlight. She watched her step and made her way to the top of a boulder, which was settled right next to Aladar. They braved the light and braced themselves for what they were about to see.

When the dust cleared, the view was not of a desolate wasteland like they had passed before, but of a beautiful valley. The landscape was of an emerald green. The skies were a shade of cerulean and cotton-like clouds floated above the picturesque land. Mountains surrounded the valley like a barrier against the wastelands outside. In the middle of the area was a large lake, with waters like a blue mirror. Off to the right side, pouring out of a mountain, was a huge waterfall, like the ones seen in South America. It huge, enough to support a whole herd of dinosaurs. There was even a forest that covered the mountains, giving the walls a darker shade of green.

"The Nesting Grounds…" Eema uttered with shock. "It's…it's untouched."

Aladar smiled. After a long time of travelling, after all the dangers they had been through, they had finally made it. The hope that had nearly disappeared back in the cave had been rekindled. If it weren't for his friends, they would have been at death's door. He walked forward and took in the new surroundings.

Various emotions had been going through everyone's mind; joy, relief, the feeling of accomplishment, and the feeling of new hope. Hazel had all of those as well, except they were cranked up a few more levels than her friends. Just last week, she had learned that there were two meteorites that impacted the planet and that the first one was nothing compared to the second, the one that annihilated them. That first one must have destroyed everything in a thousand mile radius, yet this valley had been virtually untouched by the blast.

No words came out of Hazel's mouth. She looked all around her, taking in all of the surroundings. The birds flying up above, the sound of the rushing water from the waterfall, the rustling of the leaves from the nearby trees, everything! All of this counteracted everything she had known. The human jumped off of the rock she was on and slumped to the ground. Pure and utter disbelief was clear on her face. She then returned her flashlight, which she had turned off after sitting down, back into her bag before returning her gaze to the scenery.

"_I can't believe it…this place actually survived! How did this place escape that blast!?"_ she screamed in her mind. _"Oh my gosh…Nigel is going to flip when he hears about this!"_

Immediately when she thought about that, she was reminded of her plan she developed before. Hazel frowned, remembering the fact that she will have to leave her friends for a while. Taking them and the herd back to Prehistoric Park before their breeding season wouldn't be a very good idea, considering that they will have to adjusting to the place would take a while. Next to Nigel and the rest of the staff back at Prehistoric Park, these guys had become like family to her.

Hazel stared at the landscape and became lost in her own thoughts. She brought her knees close to her and hugged herself.

Next to Hazel were the lemurs, who sat on the grass and admired the sight. Yar and Plio sat next to each other, Suri was in her mother's arms, and Zini was the only one ahead of them.

"Our new home…" Plio said with a smile and hugged her daughter.

"And it comes with a pool!" he jumped and then made his way to the lake.

If Hazel hadn't been too focused in her own thoughts, she would have enjoyed this event. Zini was yodeling his way towards the lake, Url following after him with a stalagmite he found in the cave, and Baylene laughing her way towards the lake. Suri went over to the nearest tree and started scaling the vines that hung from the branches, a reminder of the great tree in her old home. Everyone, except for the human, laughed as half of their group frolicked in the valley.

Baylene continued to laugh as she ran through the tall grass. The atmosphere is a relief after travelling for so long in a desert and the fresh air was a huge break. The feel of the grass below everyone's feet gave reassurance and security. Zini, who decided to be funny at this point, climbed up her neck, made it to her snout and it used it as a diving board into the water below.

"Cannonball!" he yelled and whooped.

The lemur tucked his legs in, held his breath, and hit the water. His impact barely broke the surface. Small ripples only spread for a couple of feet. The Brachiosaurus found this funny and let out a chuckle.

"Amateur!" she called him. "Look out below!"

In response to his attempt at being cool, she leaped from the shore and crashed into the lake. The ripples from her impact were large waves for Zini. Luckily, he had found a floating log and managed to board it before getting caught in the wave. The lemur took this opportunity to ride the wave and used the log as a surfboard. As Baylene strode through the lake, the waves were pushed even further, making Zini's ride that much longer and more fun. Nearby, Url placed his stalagmite down by the lake shore and watched his friends have fun. Like a dog, he panted with his tongue out just to cool off and to be cute.

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About 30 minutes later…

Aladar observed everyone have fun. All their hard work on trying to find this place had finally paid off. He would go and have some fun too, but he just didn't feel like it. He stood at the entrance to the cave, next to Eema and behind Plio and Yar, who sat just in front of him. He laughed a little when he saw Zini climb up Baylene's neck then jump off, only for him to belly flop on the water. Thankfully, he only went halfway up her neck and started swimming again after the impact.

He heard a sigh off to his right. He looked in that direction and saw Hazel sitting alone on the grass. She was only about ten feet from him. He could tell that her mind was out there, her eyes staring in the distance. She held her legs together and her hands held on to each other. The Iguanadon took a few steps towards her and called her name.

"Hazel?"

The human broke off of her trance and turned to look at him. "Yeah?"

"Listen…" Aladar looked down. "About what happened back there…I'm sorry about those things I said."

Hazel closed her eyes and shook her head. "Don't apologize. It was a pretty bad situation. And I'm sorry for being too harsh on you," she replied and smiled.

"Actually…I also wanted to thank you for that."

One eyebrow went up on the human's face. "You mean…"

"Yeah. I knew what you were doing. Both you and Baylene. It was the push I needed."

Hazel muffled a soft chuckle. "Don't mention it."

Both of them looked back at the scenery and at their friends playing. Baylene was dipping her head towards the water and then quickly lifting it back up. On her back was Zini, who was sliding down her neck as if on an invisible skateboard and then launching off of her. The yellow-furred lemur laughed in the air before producing another cannonball into the water. The sauropod was also having the best time in her life.

"Not bad," Aladar commented. "But I don't get it. Where's the herd?"

"Not to mention Neera," Plio added to that. Yar quietly laughed and so did Eema. Hazel couldn't help but giggle as well.

"They'll get here…" the Styracosaurus said then walked over to the left of the area. "Soon enough."

All of them watched the elder lady walk off, just to keep an eye on her. This was a happy time for them, but like all fun times, a problem would always come up.

"Oh no," Eema groaned.

"Eema?" Aladar called and walked over to her.

The lemurs got curious and hopped over to where she was. Hazel, wanting to see what was going on, got up from where she was at and ran over to them. At first, it was a jog and then a brisk walk when she finally caught up. They were on a small hill that sloped on the other side toward one part of the mountain barrier. Unlike the other areas, this part of the wall lacked any vegetation.

"What's wrong?" Hazel asked, who was now standing next to Aladar.

"I spoke too soon," the ceratopsian shook her head at one part of a wall.

"What is it?" the ornithopod went next.

Hazel observed the wall and squinted. _"A landslide? The meteor must have caused this," _she guessed. The wall had large boulders at the bottom and smaller ones at the top. The rocks looked like they didn't belong at this gateway due to their color and the fresh earth that was overturned below.

"That was the way we used to get in here," she answered.

It was at that moment that horror fell over the trio. Especially on Aladar and Hazel. The human gasped quietly and took a step back. She and Aladar's mouth fell open as they kept watching the wall. There was no way the herd could cross this! And even if they did make it to the top, they would just fall to their deaths!

"Oh my god…" Hazel breathed. "That wall is a deathtrap!"

"They're never going to make it over that!" Aladar realized and ran over to the cave. Eema and the others turned around and watched him leave.

"Aladar wait! Wait!" The elder called to him. "Kron'll eat you alive!"

"Let him try," was his only response before disappearing into the cave.

Hazel took one last look at the wall before running after Aladar. She knew what the dangers were and she didn't care. She also knew what Kron would do, considering that she had spent nearly two weeks with the tyrant. The human sprinted towards the cave entrance, quickly traversed the various boulders laid out, and called out his name.

"Aladar!" she yelled.

The dinosaur had only made it into the mouth of the tunnel they were in earlier. He turned around to see an exhausted Hazel standing before him. She was bent over and breathing heavily; her hands were on her knees and she was looking down. When she had rested for a minute, she stood straight and spoke.

"I'm coming with you," Hazel told him.

Aladar shook his head. "Sorry Hazel. It's too dangerous."

Like before, Hazel outstretched her arms like she did when she was giving the dinosaur some moral support. "What!? But you're going to need backup! Someone who can talk some sense into Kron!"

"Just wait here and keep an eye on everyone else!" he replied back before disappearing into the darkness of the tunnel.

"I'll be back!" his voice echoed from deep within.

Hazel groaned and turned back to the Nesting Grounds. She crossed the floor of boulders again and avoided getting blinded from the light outside. Once she made it out, she went over to the middle of the slope in front of the cave and lay down. Hazel hated to admit it, but Aladar had a point. She wasn't as fast as a dinosaur and she wasn't as strong either. She would definitely slow him down.

The girl yawned. The day of traveling through the cave had left her weary. She flexed her arms before folding them under her head like a pillow. She allowed the wind and the sounds of nature to lull her to sleep. As her consciousness faded, she hoped that her friend and the herd would make it back safely.

_Tada! Chapter 10 is done! Hope you guys enjoyed it! I'd say this chapter was a close call, since Hazel nearly revealed her secret and the mini-herd had made it to the Nesting Ground. But what of the herd? Will Hazel be able to help save them before Kron does something rash? Will she be able to return to Prehistoric Park? Find out next time on Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure!_

_Note: I just did some research on Bruton and I just found out that he is an Altirhinus, a type of iguanadontid. Whoops...well close enough *nervous laugh*. Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter :)_


	11. The Truth

_Hey guys. Darksage95 here. So lately, I've been doing some research on both Prehistoric Park and Disney's Dinosaur. Like I just found out that the lemurs are really Smilodectes (according to Wikipedia) and Iguanadons went extinct waaaaaaay before the meteor strike. For the sake of the story plot, all timeline confusions will be ignored. However, I will still put in some scientific facts. Anyway, __**Disclaimer: I do not own Prehistoric Park, Disney's Dinosaur, or any of the companies that produced them**__. Enjoy! _

_**Soundtrack: The Truth by ****Paul Dinletir**_

That afternoon…

Flia had been scouting the mountain passages for hours now. There was no need to let Kron know of where to go because they've traveled through here many times. The sun was inches over the horizon and the wind was subtle. Unlike back in the desert, the air was not scorching like before. The temperature was much better and bearable.

A few of the mountains in the distance looked like the teeth of a predator, giving it an intimidating appearance. The peaks sloped a little to the right like a tooth would. The landscape looked dark gray and foreboding. If this were the territory of a predator like a Carnotaur, this place would fit perfectly. Any predator could ambush the herd just by hiding behind the walls or by stalking them. Thankfully, Flia did not see any. The herd has been through here many times and they know that the Nesting Grounds is just another couple of miles away. Their last stretch is the canyon maze.

The Pteranodon flew high above the herd, observing their trek and looking for any signs of predators. By looking back, she could see the walls and small plateaus that the dinosaurs had passed by. This place is not exactly a maze, but it does have many twists and turns.

When Flia flew ahead of the herd, she could have sworn she saw something green in the distance. She knew what this was and used the wind behind her to increase her speed. When she got closer, her mind raced as she saw the familiar setting of her home. The air scout screeched in happiness as she was overjoyed at the sight. Her home had survived the fireball and remained untouched. Overhead, she could just see half of the valley and a faint image of the lake in the middle. In her mind, she knew that all the herd had to do was to cross the gateway that led to the Nesting Grounds. Their journey would finally be over.

However, that happiness was short lived when she flapped her wings to get higher. Right over the last wall a mile away was the product of a landslide. Those fallen rocks blocked their only way to get back home. Horrified, Flia circled to the right and flew towards the herd. She knew that Kron would not like this and would most likely not listen to a lowly scout such as her. But, as a scout, it was her duty to report anything to the leader, be it a predator or otherwise.

It didn't take very long for the flyer to find the herd. When she caught sight of Kron, she looked away, fear taking over again. The bruises she got from that night at the lake were still fresh on her. She descended quickly and landed to the leader's right. As soon as she landed, she had to briskly move on all fours, despite her slowed mobility on land, in order to keep up with him.

The Iguanadon leader watched the scout approach him for a minute then turned his attention back to the path ahead. He let out a snort and did not take another glance at her as they walked.

"What is it Flia?" Kron said gruffly.

"Kron…" she breathed as she bounded forward in a quick motion before slowing down again. Flia did not take her eyes off of her superior. "The Nesting Grounds! The entrance!"

"Well? Out with it!" he said in a slightly louder tone. "Home is within a mile's reach."

Flia shook her head and let out the truth. "The entrance is being blocked by boulders!"

The leader stopped and widened his eyes. He then looked down at the small scout in shock. He started to breathe heavily. Kron watched Flia for a minute, then watched the herd approach him from behind, and finally faced forward. The dinosaur reared his head back and let out a bellow, signaling the herd to pick up the pace.

The Pteranodon took a few steps back from the leader. She watched as the Iguanadon's movements turned from a brisk walk to a full run. Flia looked back and saw the herd running towards her. In response, she turned and took off, once again catching up to Kron.

"Kron!" she called to him once she was at his side again, only this time in flight. "The fireball must have caused the blockage. The herd can't get through!"

"Lies!" Kron retorted back.

"It's true! You have to listen to me! The herd will never make it!"

They rounded a corner and bounded down another alley. This time, it was shorter and ended in a right turn.

"Please! You have to tell the herd to stop and turn around! The rocks will kill them!"

Kron let out a roar and shot glares at her. "Silence Flia! I've had enough of your nonsense. We are going home!"

The dinosaur turned away and kept running. The Pteranodon let out a sigh and looked down in disappointment. She knew that trying to reason with him more would only make things worse. Flia flapped her wings a few times and gained altitude. She could do nothing but watch the truth unfold before the land travelers below.

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Have you ever come across a moment in your life where all that you worked for had been for nothing? Like you finally reach your goal but then all your hopes come crashing down on you? If you have, then you're on the same page with the herd.

Flia looked down and closed her eyes. She did try to tell Kron, but his stubbornness wouldn't give way to reason. She stood there on the left side of the passage, on a small cliff made by a few large boulders, directly above the herd by just a few feet. Just by turning around, she could see the entire herd. That is, if she wanted to. Flia didn't need to look back at them. The bellows and other commotion were enough to let her know that they were on the same page.

The leader stood at the front. His eyes fixed at the entire wall, constantly looking at the top. The rays on the other side of the rocks beamed straight over them and the sky was a light orange hue. Night was coming. He hated to accept it, but his scout was right.

They stood there for at least a half hour. Neera had been in the back keeping the younglings together. Once she had done her job, she traversed through the herd, the twins following close behind. The female slipped past the herbivores, occasionally pushing them off to the side, gently. It did not take long until she made it to the front, where her dumbfounded brother was. She then stopped and looked down at the kids, who were on her right.

"Stay here," she told them. The youngsters obeyed and watched their guardian go and talk to the leader.

Neera stood next to Kron and spoke to him while watching the wall.

"We'll find a way around it," she reassured him.

He shook his head in response and gritted his teeth, not once looking at his sibling. "In the morning…we'll climb it."

Neera stared at him grimly. What Kron said even attracted Flia's attention. Both looked at him as if he'd lost it. Then again, he is crazy. The purple dinosaur turned his attention from his sister to the pterosaur perched on the pile of boulders nearby.

"See if you can find a safer route along these rocks," he ordered.

Flia hesitated at that. She stammered for a few seconds before she made a proper reply. "But…climbing them is too risky! The herd could-!"

Kron screamed at her. "That's an order! Do it now!"

The scream reverberated throughout the alley. All of the dinosaurs became silent. Their leader was angry and none of them dared to make another sound after that one. A few of them took a few steps back, a sign of their uneasiness. Others stood their ground, yet still fearful of anything else that Kron would do.

A few moments of silence passed. Flia stared at him a little longer before looking up. She scoffed, spread her wings, and took off from her perch. The pterosaur circled around them twice while gaining altitude. One thing was clear in Flia's mind; she had had enough of his antics.

Kron observed the flyer fly straight towards the wall and disappear from view to the other side. The leader snorted and turned back, ready to give more orders to the crowd.

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Hazel was dreaming. Or at least, she thought she was. Whatever made that screeching sounded like it was in the sky. To her, it sounded very familiar…

"_No…it can't be…"_ the girl thought. She let out a couple of quiet mumbles before rolling over to her back from her side position. A minute later, she had fallen back to sleep.

That same screech sounded again.

Hazel's flickered open. Her vision was blurry at first but then cleared. The sky was a light orange, signaling the arrival of sunset. There were only a few large, grey clouds in the sky, but not enough to represent a storm coming. Just then, something flew past her vision. She jolted awake and sat up. The figure let out another screech and flew over her again, this time in the opposite direction. The human watched the triangular shape fly from right over her to the horizon, right where the sun met the mountains.

At first, she assumed it to be a small bird. But this thing was way larger. Her theory was debunked when she spotted a small crest atop its head. The creature circled around and flew towards the girl.

Hazel stood up and ran down the hill, eager to rendezvous with her partner. Flia let out another screech and quickly descended. With a few flaps of her wings and leaning back quickly, she gracefully landed.

"Flia!" Hazel laughed and hugged the pterosaur. Flia responded by putting her wings around her friend.

"Thank God you're okay!" At that statement, the smaller creature squeezed harder.

The female Pteranodon gasped and tried to inhale some air. This girl was literally squeezing her mid-seciton a little too hard.

"Hazel…can't…breathe…"

Hazel retracted and took a few steps back. Flia let out a couple of coughs and bent down a little to catch her breath.

"Oops…" she put a hand behind her head. "Sorry."

"Actually…" Flia said as she walked up to Hazel. "I should have done this first."

The Pteranodon lifted her wing and, with a motion right above Hazel's head (and the human ducking before coming back up), knocked her to the ground with a backhand strike. Er…'backwing' strike. Hazel had let out a scream and landed on the base of the slope. Good thing that she was not seriously injured, but she would feel sore in the morning.

The human sat up and looked at her incredulously while rubbing the back of her head. "OW! What was that for!?"

Flia lifted up that same wing and pointed at her. "Don't you ever disobey me again! If I tell you to run, you run! If I tell you to be quiet, you be QUIET!"

Hazel chuckled sheepishly. "Okay okay! It's good to see you too!"

The flying reptile closed her eyes and let out a sigh before looking at her again.

"I'm glad you're not hurt," she put her wing down. "You had me worried sick!"

"Okay I'm sorry!" Hazel lifted her hands up in an 'I'm sorry' gesture. "And I was worried about you too," she said, putting them down.

Flia lifted an eye ridge up. "You and I are going to have a talk…"

She heard some footsteps behind her and turned around. Hurrying towards the duo were the others. The lemurs were jumping through the tall grass while the dinosaurs were hurrying as fast as they could. They were only about ten feet away. Then she heard movement from in front until they stopped at her right, no doubt Hazel had stood next to her.

She turned her body and looked at her partner. "Later…"

Hazel couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

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The reunion was great…at least for the first few minutes. It did not take very long for Flia to explain everything to them. Everyone was gathered around in a circle; Baylene and Eema stood next to each other, the lemurs all lined up, Url hovering over them, and Hazel stood next to Flia. The Pteranodon did not leave any details out. She covered everything. From the tiring trek through the rest of the wasteland, to the arrival at the other side of the wall. Everyone was surprised to hear that the herd was already just beyond those rocks, which also worried them because of how they would get across that. The explanation went smoothly...until…

"HE'S GOING TO WHAT?" everybody exclaimed at the same time.

That one remark made Flia go deaf for at least a minute. Good thing she had small ears otherwise this would have really hurt.

"Is that guy out of his fricking mind!?" Hazel cursed. "The herd's going to kill themselves if he makes them do that!"

"Girl, Kron has been out of his mind ever since he hatched out of an egg!" Eema told her in a strong yet feminine tone.

"I tried to stop him! But he wouldn't listen!" Flia added.

"As usual!" the Styracosaurus huffed. "Oh I hope Aladar makes it there in time…"

The scout perked her head to the side at that statement. "Aladar? Where is he?"

The human was about to answer her question when Plio beat her to it. "He left to stop the herd from climbing those rocks and bring them here safely."

"Oh no…" she shook her head. "And with the mood Kron is in now…someone has to go out there and help him!"

Suri raised her hand and jumped. "I'll go!"

"No Suri," Yar immediately denied her. "You can't."

"Aw…" she whined and hopped in front to face her grandfather. Everyone who was taller than the lemurs looked down on the grassy glade at the young simian. "But why!?"

"Because it's too dangerous," the elder said.

"I'm sorry Suri," her mother added, supporting her father's reason. "But he's right. None of us are in any position to defend ourselves against someone like Kron."

"But I want to help!" Suri screamed.

"Suri!" Yar was about to reprimand her when he was interrupted by a statement coming from the friend next to him.

"I'll go."

All eyes fell on Hazel. The human did not even flinch at her friends' surprised reactions. They were probably thinking she was even crazier than the power-hungry Kron. She crossed her arms, cleared her throat, and kept her cool. Deep down inside though, Hazel knew that what she was asking for may cost her life. After all, her own conscience was screaming _"You fool! You've just dug up your own grave!"_, but she went against it.

"I'll try and speak with him," Hazel said with confidence.

"But Hazel, he exiled you. Remember?" Flia reminded her.

She looked at her scouting partner and smirked. "I know, but I can defend myself."

"Defending yourself against raptors is one thing, but a mad herd leader!?"

Hazel placed her hand on the dagger hanging on the side of her belt. She knew her friends would not buy it, but she only did so just to appear tough.

"I helped defend this herd against two Carnotaurs."

The Pteranodon gawked at her. First she stared at the girl for at least a minute before switching her gaze to the elders in front of her. Once again, Eema broke the silence.

"It's true hun. That girl is a tough one. She even helped kill one of'em."

Flia eyed the veteran traveler before turning to Hazel again. "Kron still won't listen. Even with both of us there."

The young one placed a hand on her wing. She gently stroked the appendage up and down, which caused Flia to emit low rumbles from her throat as if she were purring.

"But we have to try."

After some thought, the scout agreed to her friend's reasoning. Flia bowed her head then looked at Hazel, this time with an expression that would be best comparable to a mother about to go overboard with worry over her daughter.

"Alright," she gave in. "We'll go. But this time, if I tell you to do something, you go along with it."

"Okay okay mom," Hazel joked.

"You know kid," Yar spoke up, after being quiet for some time. Both human and Pteranodon watched the elder lemur shift in his seated position. "Either you're really brave by going through with this, or you're really stupid."

The dark-haired girl could not help but give him a stern look. Everyone else did emit some laughter though. Hazel was not embarrassed at all, but she did feel like pouring some lake water over the lemur for that remark, just for some little revenge.

Flia straightened after laughing for a bit. "The herd won't be making a move quite yet. I say we get some rest first. We leave in the morning."

The answer from her was in the form of a nod. "Right."

Right when she was about to head on back to the cave to get her bag, she remembered something that she hoped would not disturb her until much later. In the back of her mind, she knew that delaying it any longer and keeping it bottled inside would not help with containing her friends' curious nature. Hazel frowned and looked down. It was time.

Everyone noticed the change in her mood. The first to call out to her was the giant sauropod across from her.

"Hazel, is everything alright?"

The girl looked up at the Brachiosaurus and then at everyone else. "Yeah…" she said with some hesitance. "Everything's fine. It's just…"

"_They have a right to know,"_ her conscience repeatedly said in an echo.

She took in a deep breath. "There's something I need to tell all of you. I can't keep it a secret any longer. It's time you all knew the truth about me."

Flia squinted her eyes and leaned a little closer to the human. "What are you talking about?"

Hazel sighed. "You've been asking all sorts of questions about me and have wondered about my origins. All I've been telling you about myself is true, except for the part where I lost my home. It's true, I'm not from around here and you've never seen my kind before. That's because my kind won't appear on this earth until millions of years from now."

"Hold up!" Eema shook her head and took a few steps back. "Millions of years? What in the world?"

"Millions?" Zini spoke up next. "Huh…how many is that?"

Everyone watched as the yellow-furred lemur began to count with his fingers. The human shook her head at that. She wanted to giggle at the sight, but this was serious.

"Zini," she stopped him and he stared up at her. "Millions of years is a very long time from now. What I'm trying to say is…"

"_Here it comes…"_ Hazel thought, dreading on what would happen next.

"I'm…from the future."

Baylene lifted her head up and stood at her full height. The human did not really need to look up at her to see her reaction. The sauropod's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. "Oh my…"

Not surprisingly, Eema did the exact same thing. "Girl, are you trying to pull my tail?"

Close by, both of the young lemurs slowly approached her until they were in front of the human. Both had expressions of surprise and wonder. "Whoa…"

While everyone processed this new piece of information, Plio approached her two other family members and sat by them. She looked up at the nervous Hazel. Unlike the rest of them, who were still either confused or in shock, the lemur was the only one to express such a calm demeanor.

"Hazel, is this true?" she asked.

Hazel nodded gravely. "Yes. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I wanted to, but I was afraid to talk about it. ...You've every right to be mad at me about it."

Plio's brother stammered and jumped. "Are you kidding? This is the coolest thing I've ever heard!"

The girl fell silent. Her mouth fell open and she took a step back. She had expected everyone to be mad at her for keeping that huge detail a secret. Yet here was probably the most rambunctious member of the herd praising her.

"Wait...what?"

After watching Zini let out all of his excitement, and seeing him settle down next to his sister, Suri was the next to speak. "So is the rest of your kind as cool as you?"

"Uh...um…" the girl stammered. She could not really reply to the lemur at the moment. Especially since she was not prepared for this kind of reaction.

Hazel nearly jumped when something fell over her shoulders. She eyed her left shoulder and saw part of Flia's wing on her. She could not explain it but when she looked at the Pteranodon, she somehow felt at peace.

"Different time or not, you're still the same Hazel. I'm surprised at what you just told us, but it's something that can all of us can get used to."

Plio nodded. "I agree. You've helped us reach the Nesting Grounds. For that, we are grateful."

She was about to thank her for that comment when Yar suddenly spoke up. Hazel looked at him and saw the same suspicion in his eyes as he made back in the cave. Again, she took a deep breath and prepared for the worst.

"Hold on a second! If you're from the future, then why are you here?"

The elder Styracosaurus walked toward him and gave him a gentle nudge with her foot. To any other dinosaur, it would be a gentle tap. In this case, it was enough to knock Yar off of his seated position. The lemur let out a yelp and slowly sat back up. Eema may have found it funny, but not the elder lemur.

"I was about to say the same thing hun."

Yar would have stayed angry at Eema, but he was more curious about the human's origins than getting back at the ceratopsian.

As for Hazel, she knew that sort of question would come up. Either now or sooner. She remembered Nigel's words from before and his warning about keeping her mission a secret. If she told them about Prehistoric Park or the meteor, then life for them would never be the same. Better to keep them in the dark about it and let them enjoy their lives first than to ruin it early.

"_Here goes…"_ she thought.

"I came here to explore. To see things no other human had ever seen before. I wanted to make new discoveries. This valley for instance; this place should have been obliterated by the meteor, yet here we are."

Plio looked at her in confusion. "Meteor?"

"It's what my people called the fireball," Hazel explained.

Yar lifted his hands up in a 'time-out' motion then puts them down. "Wait a minute, if you're from a different time, and your kin doesn't appear until a bajillion years from now, then how come you know so much about the fireball."

"Yar," she confidently replied. "You kind of answered your question. I'm from the future. That event you all experienced is history in my time. It's hard to explain, but everyone knows about it."

Right when she said that, Hazel was reminded of all the fossils found in her time and the craters made by the meteors. The dread within her returned as she dwelt on that thought. Unless she doesn't save her friends and bring them to Prehistoric Park, they'll join the many others that lie dead in the rocks.

"...and I arrived in this time after the fireball hit. That's why I'm still standing now."

"Oh man…" Zini said as he held on to his head. Everyone saw him spin around and perhaps a hint of his eyes swirling. The lemur collapsed on the ground with a tiny thud. "All this stuff is making my head swirl…"

"So, are there any more of us in your time?" Suri curiously asked.

"Hm? Oh yeah! Yeah, loads," she nervously smiled. There are a lot of lemurs in the world in the present, ..._except some species are endangered. _Hazel decided not to reveal that as it might complicate things. "There's definitely more of you."

"_And there's also the fact that you guys are our distant relatives."_ Hazel said in her mind.

"Cool!" Suri exclaimed and jumped a couple of times with a grin.

"And what about us?" Baylene asked next. Hazel had to lift her head up in order to make eye contact. Doing so hurt her neck a little, but she ignored it. "Are there any more in your world?"

The human did not really know how to answer that. All of the dinosaurs became extinct after the meteor hit the earth. Their remains are in the form of fossils in the ground. She also had a keen knowledge of evolution, so she knew that the dinosaurs were not really gone forever. The birds and lizards of today are their descendents. The only _living_ dinosaurs are the ones that she and the rest of the crew back at Prehistoric Park are caring for. Nevertheless, she decided not mention any of that and created a blunt response that they would hopefully buy.

"Oh yeah! There are more of you guys too!" She could have sworn she felt a sweat drop run down her cheek when she said that. It was either from the humidity in the area, or she was really nervous. Hazel couldn't decide on either but she did not care. At least she is letting this burden of a secret off of her shoulders.

Hazel felt a slight grip on her left shoulder. Knowing that it came from Flia, she looked at the Pteranodon next to her.

"Does Aladar know about this?"

The human shook her head. "No. You guys are the first to know."

Eema chuckled softly. "Well he's in for a surprise then."

Hazel smiled and glanced at the wall. _"Assuming things go well tomorrow."_

"So here's another question," Zini said, fully recovered from his fall and hopped a little closer to Hazel. "What else is inside that thing you always carry on your back?"

Hazel couldn't help but let out but gawk a little at that statement. Thankfully, she did not open her bag (which was still close to the cave entrance) and show them. All she had to do was tell them that her essentials were in there: sleeping bag, her dagger, everything but the food and the waterbottles. They didn't ask her more after that.

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Around late afternoon...

Even though they were still worried about Aladar, the mini-herd used that day to recover from their long trip. Flia took this opportunity to feed herself after weeks of traveling. She spent about an hour or so flying over the lake and fishing. Eema, Baylene, Url, and the lemurs weren't in the lake so that  
>made things a lot easier for her. Hazel still had to eat her power bar in secret, however she was still glad that her friends accepted her after telling them her secret of being from another time.<p>

Later on, when the sun was nearly set, Hazel set off to take a walk around that part of the valley. She had her bag on in case she wanted to restock on water or if she wanted to store something she found. The skies had already turned into a darker shade of orange and the temperature had already dropped from humid and muggy to cool and refreshing. The wind was a good change, which was way more appreciating than the dry, unforgiving gusts back in the desert. During her walk, she took the time to refill her water bottles at the water's edge. The filters in her water bottles had become covered in splotches of brown due to the water taken from the dried lakebed. Hazel had no use for those anymore, as the water in the Nesting Ground's lake was clean. The girl twisted the filters off and stored them in her bag. Once she was done refilling, she washed her hands, got up, and continued walking.

After roaming around lake, she caught sight of a pterosaur landing close to the collapsed passageway. She had to squint a little in order to get a better view of the creature, but it did not take her very long to realize that I was Flia. Hazel ran in that direction and joined her friend by her side.

Flia looked to her left and saw the human bend down and breathe heavily. She then watched as she dropped her bag on the ground next to her and collapse in a seated position.

Hazel looked at Flia curiosly. "Aren't you supposed to report back to Kron?"

The Pteranodon gave her a sad look. "Yes, but...Kron should already know that the wall is impassable. And I'm in no mood to speak with him now. I'm tired of working for him!"

"You mean...you have been for a while?"

Flia nodded. "Ever since the beginning."

The nineteen year old lifted an eyebrow up. "I'm sorry to ask but, if he's cruel towards everyone else, why did you choose to work for him?"

The female reptile turned away and looked at the wall again. "Because I wanted to help this herd. The fireball decimated my friends. None of them had a chance to live life to the fullest! When I found this herd traveling back then...I just wanted to help them; help them reach this place so that their lives would continue."

A feeling of guilt shadowed the young girl. "I'm sorry...I didn't know."

Flia shook her head and smiled at her. "No, it's alright. You've already told us your secret."

Hazel smirked then returned her attention to the wall. "He's going to go through with it, isn't he?"

The Pteranodon nodded but said nothing.

A sigh came from the time traveler. "We have to go to him by morning. Aladar can't do this alone."

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Late that evening…

Hazel managed to sneak away from her sleeping friends by the lake. It was pretty easy to do so, since the moon was not out and the skies were dotted with stars. It was a cool night and the wind blew softly, her hair flowed along with the breeze. As Hazel walked up the hill towards the mouth of the cave, she took in her surroundings and looked around. She knew that very soon, she would leave this time and would not return for a while. This saddened Hazel greatly. She did not want to leave her friends, but she also had a family back home.

Once she made it to the top of the hill, she turned and sat down. When she did, she took out the phone that was in her pocket. And, doing the same thing as before, started to contact her friend and mentor from back home.

**Hazel**: We made it to the Nesting Grounds.

**Nigel**: A job well done Hazel. Are you coming back now?

**Hazel**: Um...not yet. There are a few things I need to do first. These guys won't see me for a while and I just thought I could spend a little more time with them before leaving. We've been traveling so much that we're all exhausted.

Hazel thought for a moment before texting again. She did not want to talk about what would happen tomorrow, as doing so would worry Nigel. So she left that detail out.

**Hazel**: I told my friends about where I came from and what I really am. It went well.

**Nigel**: See? I told you. They would accept you no matter what.

**Hazel**: Thanks for the tip.

**Nigel**: You're welcome. Now tell me, you've made it to the Nesting Grounds. What's it like? And it's been untouched by the meteor impact!?

**Hazel**: It hasn't. I know that the meteors that hit the earth would cause the temperatures to change dramatically and the atmosphere to get covered by the ash. But this place is virtually untouched by the disaster.

**Nigel**: It's probably because it was a small meteorite.

**Hazel**: Right

**Nigel**: This just proves my theory of dinosaurs existing after a small meteorite! I knew I was right!

**Hazel**: Well, I should sleep now. I just wanted to let you know that I was okay. I'll see you tomorrow, or probably early the next day. Whichever.

**Nigel**: Alright. Be careful. Oh wait, you're already in the Nesting Grounds. Well, still, be careful.

**Hazel**: Okay Nigel. I will

**Nigel**: Goodnight.

**Hazel**: Night

The girl sighed and turned off her phone. After doing so, she looked up at the sky and stared at the stars, her mind lost in her thoughts about the future.

"I just hope we all survive tomorrow..."

_Tada! Chapter 11 is done! I really had a hectic few months lately (college and a busy schedule). Sorry about the wait. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for Chapter 12 :)_


	12. The Final Showdown

_Phew…sorry for the long wait. I had school and a job to work on and I was writing new chapters for another one of my fanfics. But…I'm back! _**_Disclaimer: I do not own Prehistoric Park or Disney's Dinosaur._** _Anyway, enjoy!_

_Song:_**_Kron and Aladar Fight _**_and _**_Stand Together _**_by James Newton Howard_

Hazel looked away from the horrid scene in disgust. How much more torture can the herd take from Kron? She and Flia had just arrived there not too long ago and had been watching them attempt to climb the wall. If it were up to her, she would just go down there and tell them to stop. But the girl knew that by doing so, the situation would only go downhill.

Hazel half-wished she had left her bag at the Nesting Grounds. The extra weight would really hinder her in this situation, but she needed her supplies in case this plan did not work. Not only that, but before they left, something in the back of her mind told her to bring the time poles. She did not know why, but she went along with it.

They watched the herd from a rocky outcrop just above the herd on their right. There were a number of rocks in front of them, most of which were about Hazel's size, which provided the perfect cover. The sun was high up in the sky and the temperature was at its peak, signaling high noon.

"We have to keep trying!" Kron retorted. "Our survival…our future, is over these rocks!"

"Now let's go home!" he boomed. The herd made a series of groans and shook their heads. The scouts could clearly see that they were reluctant to follow the herd leader up the wall.

"Bastard," Hazel growled and gritted her teeth.

Down below, Kron turned to watch the herd again. To his disbelief, none of them followed him up the wall. The ruthless leader shook his head and diverted his attention towards his right. There stood his sister, Neera, along with the young Iguanadon children that always accompanied her. They youngsters backed up closer to their foster mother, afraid of Kron's wrath.

The dinosaur marched towards them. "You'll make it," he said, lowering his head and them giving them a nudge, thus pushing them away. "Won't you boys?"

"No!" Neera objected.

"Watch them! They're tough!" he pushed them once again, this time closer to one of the rocks and with more force.

"If they can do it, SO CAN YOU!" Kron forcefully presented to the herd.

Neera stared at her brother. Once again, his stubbornness has fully controlled his sense of reason. The female Iguanadon heard a series of quiet groans and cries off to her right and down below on the ground. She turned slightly and watched the herd begin to climb the rocks.

Up above, Hazel and Flia watched in disappointment and anger at what was happening. The young human could not take it anymore and stood up. She grabbed onto a rock and glanced back at Flia.

"We have to get down there!" she quickly remarked, not loud enough for everyone below to hear. "We have to stop them before they kill themselves!"

"I know that," Flia shook her head. "But-"

"Kron!" a familiar voice echoed from the end of the canyon.

Kron quickly looked back and his eyes widened at what was coming. Neera gasped when she saw the blue-green Iguanadon rush to the front of the herd. Up above, Hazel and Flia did nothing but smile. Hope was brought before them.

"It's Aladar!" the Pteranodon said with relief.

"He made it," the human whispered, not wanting to give away their positions. Although, she wanted to cheer at her loudest, but that would not help.

That happy moment was ruined when Aladar brought forth the worst news.

"Get the herd out of here! A Carnotaur is coming!"

The herd immediately erupted into a series of vocalizations. Various dinosaurs let out worried cries and nervously moved around. One of the Iguanadons said "What? A Caronotaur?" A Pachyrhinosaurus followed with "It's coming here!?" in a frightened tone. Next, a Parasaurolophus expressed his fear with "I don't want to die!"

Hazel and Flia had heard enough. This situation was getting worse by the minute. They had to get down there. Flia moved in front of Hazel and extended her wings. Her human partner quickly hopped on and wrapped her arms around her neck. The pair then took off, quickly rushing to the scene.

The disorder continued for another few seconds. Various members of the herd turned towards Kron, impatiently waiting for the solution to this problem. The leader, once again ignoring the advice to save the herd, called for the herd to push forward.

"Keep moving!" he ordered. He was about to climb a rock but was then stopped by Aladar again.

"Stop!" he yelled. "I've been to the valley! There's a safer way!"

The cacophony of sounds continued, only this time, they were louder. Confusion spread amongst the group. Members of the herd wished to follow Aladar while others thought of staying with Kron due to his authority.

Kron gritted his teeth. He then forcefully nudged the dark-scaled youngster to make an example of his authority.

"Go on, show him!" The child let out a squeal and slightly moved forward then slowed again.

Neera stepped up to her brother, pleading to him. "Kron, listen to him!"

"Why should I?" he said shaking his head then held it high. "So that he can lead us to the predators?"

"But-"The lavender Iguanadon started but was then cut off by her sibling.

"Don't you dare take his side!"

"I'd listen to both of them if I were you!" a youthful voice said from above.

Everyone looked up to see the shape of a Pteranodon descend towards them. Flia dove down to the front of the herd and landed right beside Aladar. As if Flia's late arrival was surprising, a certain human with her hair in a ponytail dismounted off of her back. Everyone was surprised to see the young woman appear before them, including Aladar. Kron kept his composure and eyed at his scouts, especially Hazel, as he would towards an insect.

Aladar shook his head and diverted his attention to the dark-haired traveler. "Hazel! What are you doing here!? I thought I told you to stay at the Nesting Grounds!"

"Yeah as if I'd listen. Flia and I aren't going to let you do this alone. So we're helping you out whether you like it or not. We've got to stick together, right?" she replied while not looking back at him.

When she said that, the fear and worry that Aladar had for her receded. Her saying that made him remember back to when he had helped her in the desert. She came here, risking her life, not just for him but for the herd too. What she was doing now was more noble than foolish. Aladar could not help but make a small smile. His companions were now here to support him.

"So, my scouts, both current and former, decide to return to me," he sneered.

Hazel stared at him indifferently, not affected by that comment. "Been a while Herr Kron," she said in a fake German accent. "I see you've gotten yourself and everyone into a pickle. Not being a good example are you now?"

The large herbivore became irritated at that statement. Kron said nothing back. He did not understand why she had spoken like that, but he did know that she was insulting his authority. Because of that, his hatred for her grew even more.

"Kron, I've been to the valley and back," Flia started. "There is no safe way to cross these rocks!"

"Yes there is!" he interjected. "We're going to climb it!"

Kron was about to turn and climb again but was then stopped by the small human.

"Don't do this Kron! Aladar knows a better route to get there. Climbing this wall would only lead to your deaths! It's suicide!"

"The climb will prove who is worthy of living!" he shouted. "The weak will be weeded out!"

It was at that statement that his true colors had shown. The herd became frightened of him because of that. Some of the members even backed up a little in fear of him making them climb the wall. Hazel, Aladar, and Flia looked around and watched them shift and cry in fear. Fear turned into paranoia on their faces in an instant.

"Can't you see the faces of this herd?" Hazel interjected to Kron. "They don't want to do it! Don't you even care about them!?"

"I am the leader and all will follow me!" he boomed. This caused Neera and even the children close to her to back up a bit.

"And what of Bruton huh?" Hazel continued, growing angrier by the minute. "You saw how hurt he was and you did not care. It's because of you he's dead! Don't you understand? The predators are one thing, but your stubbornness will lead all of us to an early grave!"

Kron had had it. He let out a growl and stomped his forepaws on the rock he stood on. "I've had enough of this and I've had enough of you, you insolent child!"

He was about to storm down there to squash her like a bug. However, he was stopped by his sister, who had stepped in front of him.

"Kron, please stop!" she implored him.

"Kron, listen to me! We have to go now!" Aladar beseeched him.

"Go where? Straight to the Carnotaurs?" he accused, moving out of his sister's way.

"If we hurry, we can get around them! You can't get over those rocks! There's a sheer drop on the other side!" the younger male argued.

Kron had gotten even more frustrated. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw the youngsters try to sneak away from him. Once again, he focused his anger on the eldest and shoved him forcefully. The elder twin rolled and landed on his back after letting out a frightened squeal.

"You're going to kill the herd! I know the way to the valley and everybody can make it!" Aladar blamed him. He then turned around and marched off. "Now follow me!"

Hazel and Flia did the same and were about to follow. The head honcho's patience had reached its limit by his rival's endeavor at getting the herd to follow him. Kron stormed down from the wall, even pushing through his sister who was trying to stop him. The furious leader jumped down and landed on the gravel, causing the ground to shake a little. The herd members nearby backed away from him, not wanting to be a target of his anger. Hazel and Flia glanced back and gasped when they saw him there. They both hurried off to the right side of the herd to get out of his way.

"The herd's staying with me!" he commanded powerfully.

The blue dinosaur flicked his tail at him and walked away. "Alright let's go!"

At that instant, Kron broke into a sprint and ran up to Aladar. He collided with him and used his brute strength to knock him down to the ground. Aladar struggled with the dinosaur on top of him and used his legs to push him off to the side. Both opponents quickly got up and started to circle around each other. None of them broke any eye contact. Neera, angry at her brother and concerned for the compassionate Aladar, hurried down to try to stop the fight.

The sky scouts managed to get in between a Parasaurolophus and Styracosaurus just to have a good view of the fight. Both of them prayed for Aladar to win. Hazel, who had failed to keep quiet, fist-bumped upwards and cheered for her friend.

"Come on Aladar! Show that pathetic excuse of a leader what you're made of!"

The dinosaurs, including Flia, around her looked at her in astonishment. The human did not mind this as she was focused on the battle itself. The Pteranodon was about to tell her to be quiet but then realized that doing so would not only result in Hazel ignoring her, but Kron getting even angrier.

"That human has gotten on my nerves for the last time," Kron rebuked in irritation. "Once you're out of the way, I will dispatch her myself!"

That threat instilled even more tension within Aladar. Not only is this guy planning on unintentionally killing the herd, but he is also planning on killing one of his best friends. He roared back in defiance and crouched down, ready for battle.

Kron made his move by lunging forward to knock his opponent down again. The determined warrior saw this coming and sidestepped away. This gave him the chance to knock him to the ground. The leader was not fazed by the attack and, in an underhanded way, used one of his paws to swipe some gravel into Aladar's eyes. This distracted him long enough for Kron to attack. With a swipe of an arm, he created a deep scratch with a thumb spike. Aladar staggered back from that. When his vision recovered, he saw his opponent lunge at him, which knocked him into a nearby wall. The impact on the wall and landing on the ground badly bruised his body. What's worse, he is now stunned from the attack.

The ruthless Kron seized this chance to end his rival's life for good. He hurried forward to deliver the finishing blow. Hazel gasped in horror and ran after him to fight him off, but was only pulled back by three clawed fingers. She was then pulled in further and held on to her. Hazel tried to pull away, but her friend's grip would not let up.

"Flia let me go! He's going to kill him!" Hazel yelled in urgency.

The Pteranodon grunted when the girl pushed forward hard. "No! If I do, then he'll kill you too!"

As Hazel struggled, Kron got even closer to Aladar. The girl stopped and watched in horror as the leader prepared to impale the fallen dinosaur.

"NO!" she let out in a piercing scream.

Kron's attack was foiled when some dino shoved him away. He landed a few feet away onto his belly and so did his mysterious attacker. When the blurriness in his vision adjusted, he was shocked to see his sister stand before him. Neera stared him down, anger, disappointment, and a hint of resentment in her eyes. Kron watched in disbelief as she turned away to help Aladar.

The winged reptile sighed and loosened her grip on the human, allowing her to aid their friend. Hazel sprinted over and went to his side. The female Iguanadon helped him stand on one end while Hazel got the other. The girl's strength was not much, but she did help in lifting his head up. They then walked off, determined to leave the scene.

Kron shook his head at this. He let out a low growl and called for his sister back. "Neera, get back here now!"

She did not turn back, nor did she answer. Her respect for him has all but disappeared. Hazel, on the other hand, turned to face him. Her anger for him for the past two weeks showed once again. Her expression was a mix of hate and disappointment.

"By the way," she started. "I've been waiting to do this for a while…"

Hazel was not much of a user with vulgar words. However, she only uses them if the time called for it. There was only one action she knew that was insulting. Because Nigel was not around, as he would be embarrassed if he saw her use it, nothing stopped her. She put her left hand up and folded four of her fingers except for the middle one.

She smirked in satisfaction. "Two words. Up your's."

Kron stared at her in utter bewilderment. He did not know what to make of this action. Hazel knew that and left him in that state. She ran, dodging around the dinosaurs, until she got to the front. There, she saw Aladar, with Neera on his right and Flia on his left. She joined them and gave the Pteranodon a soft elbow nudge. Flia jumped a bit and smiled when she saw her best friend and partner.

The herd soon joined them. Once again, since their time at the dried lake, hope had returned. Their future was secure. Kron's defeat marked the passing of the torch to a new leader. Neera and Flia were finally at peace with themselves. For the first time, they were no longer taking orders from a heartless leader like Kron. They no longer had to worry about their safety, and that made them happy.

Neera glanced at Aladar. She had been hiding her affections for him the entire time, but now that she was in control of her own life, she could no longer keep them in. Neera gently nudged Aladar on the snout, and he did so in return.

But, like all momentous occasions, trouble seemed to follow. The moment was disrupted by a shrill roar at the end of the canyon. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks and looked around in confusion. Heavy footfalls could be heard in the distance. The identity of the intruder was revealed when it turned the corner. The Carnotaur encountered from before had followed the herd into the canyon. They were trapped.

The predator let out series of growls as it sauntered towards them. It then stopped when it was in the middle of the pathway, giving itself room for a charge forward. The monster stared at them maliciously and had hunger apparent in its eyes.

"He's led that monster right to us!" Kron indicted. The ex-leader began to climb up the rocks to get away. "This way!"

All of them, except for Aladar, Hazel, Flia, and Neera, turned around to follow after him. The fear of getting eaten or even dying at the jaws of the Carnotaurus pushed them into wanting to escape over the wall.

Aladar turned around and gave out his order. "No! Don't move! If we scatter, he'll pick us off!"

He then turned to face the predator. "Stand together!"

Kron turned around at that, only to see none of the members following him. He scoffed and kept climbing up alone.

The Carnotaurus let out a roar into the sky. It then pawed at the ground before breaking off into a charge. The herd began to let out worried cries.

Flia snorted and crouched down, ready to take flight and take on the beast. Hazel took a few steps back and placed her right hand on her blade. She knew that it was not much, but it was her only form of defense. Even she was unsure if they were going to make it out of this.

"Aladar," she whimpered as the Carnotaurus drew nearer. "I know you've just been established as the new leader, but I hope you have a plan for this!"

Aladar was well aware of that. He did have a plan, but he was unsure if it would help them. But due to the situation they were in, anything was better than nothing. He glowered at the enemy and roared at it. His bellows were of a low, yet loud frequency. This action caused it to stop in its tracks. The Iguanadon continued to roar at it, and the predator in turn did so as well.

Hazel watched in astonishment as her friend battled the monster head on. He was not using his brute strength, or even his thumb spikes, but rather his own voice to drive it back. Not only that, but she could clearly see the Carnotaurus becoming confused at this action by the minute. The prey would usually turn tail and run, or they would simply stay where they were to drive them off. But now, the prey was fighting back.

Things for the beast got even more overwhelming when Neera and Flia joined in. Neera's roar was much like Aladar's, except it was of a higher pitch. Flia's was that of a screech, but her contribution helped in the fight. She did not need to fly, as she wanted to help stay with the herd in the fight. Soon, the whole herd joined in. They began to move forward, pushing the predator back and allowing themselves a way to escape the canyon.

Hazel could not believe what she was in. The combination of bellows and the size of the herd was driving the Carnotaurus back. This was never mentioned in any of the books she read. She knew that if Nigel were here, he would have at least had a way to record the whole event. Luckily, she had her phone in her pocket. Hazel quickly took it out and went straight for the camera option. The girl pressed record and let the phone do its work. She scanned every part of the fight; from everyone at the front, to the setting they were in, to the back. The dinosaurs, even her friends, were too busy driving off their enemy to even notice what the human was doing.

Once they got to the end, the group started to veer off around the corner. While they did, each member let out a last series of bellows before disappearing from the vicinity. Hazel had managed to make it to the end and stayed at the furthest right of the herd to allow them through. She then moved her camera to capture the sight of her friends doing their last roars at the enemy before walking off. When they did, she quickly closed the app and put her phone away before joining them.

This victory was short-lived. The Carnotaurus glanced back at the end of the canyon and saw Kron pulling himself up on a higher portion of the wall. It charged for the rocks, seizing the chance for an easy meal.

Neera turned around and saw this. She knew that her brother did not even bother to follow them. The predator going in that direction meant that it was going for Kron. Although she felt resentment towards him, she did not want to let that carnivore take his life away. She ran after it and turned the corner.

Aladar saw this and groaned. He too followed after her, but only because he was concerned for her safety. Hazel turned and saw Aladar's tail disappear from her view. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open.

"Oh God no…are they crazy!?" she pointed out. This caused Flia to turn around and see that their companions and the Carnotaur were missing.

"They've gone back for Kron," Flia said, realizing the situation.

"I hate Kron even more than broccoli, but he doesn't deserve to die like this. We've got to help!"

The Pteranodon shook her head no defiantly. "No way! I'm not letting you put yourself in danger!"

"Flia, if we don't do something, then they'll be lunch!" Hazel protested. "Or they'll get squashed by rocks!"

At that remark, Flia became quiet. She knew that trying to stop Hazel would not work, as the past few times proved it. She looked to her right and observed the wall. It was high, but it was not that much of an obstacle for a flyer.

"What do we do?" she inquired while not returning her gaze to the human.

Hazel looked down in thought. Killing that Carnotaurus was not going to be easy, even with two Iguanadons, a Pteanodon, and a human. She never forgot about her time in the cave. Hazel remembered throwing her dagger into the eye of one of the carnivores. Not only that, but she even thought back to her first day in this time, when she encountered the Velociraptors. Killing was not in her nature, but she would do so if she was cornered or if those she cared about were in danger.

"_There's got to be another way…_" she thought. Then…she remembered her bag.

She quickly took it off and laid it on the ground. Flia watched as she opened the biggest pocket and slightly pull out two peculiar silver sticks. She had never seen those items before and was curious as to what they could do. The top of the poles had strange blue dots and a portion of it had thick grooves. These were used to help in activating the time poles.

Hazel smiled. She pulled them all the way out and zipped up her bag. Once it was on her back again, she stood up and went to the pterosaur.

"I have a plan…"

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At the wall…

Kron knew he was outmatched. His own strength and fighting skills would not be enough to take the Carnotaur down. He was all alone. Facing that thing by himself is foolish. As he kept traversing the rocks, the predator drew even closer. Kron reached a considerable flat portion of the wall and looked back. That thing was getting closer by the second; it was already within twenty feet from him. He backed up to try to get away, but doing so nearly made him loose his footing. The shock brought him back forward.

He gazed in horror at the deep ravine below. This wall was not whole at all. Pieces of the rocks from where he stood fell down and clattered below. Kron looked up, only to see that there was really no way to climb to the other side, much less climb up the obstacle. He turned around and saw the predator just a few feet away from him.

It was seeing the predator and the wall that opened his eyes to the truth. His sister, his scouts, and even his rival were trying to save not just the herd's life, but his own as well. He became filled with regret, now knowing that he did not listen to those around him. And now…because of his stubbornness and his actions that he will be hated.

"No…no…" he whispered at both the current situation and the harsh realization.

Two choices were presented to him: either jump off the cliff, or fight for his life. The Carnotaurus lunged forward to bite him, but its face was met by a smack from the prey's tail. Kron nearly slipped when he did so, but he quickly got back to his fighting position.

The Carnotaur attempted to knock him down, but Kron maintained his footing. It was then that the massive dinosaur clamped its jaws onto Kron's body. The bite force not only drew a large amount of blood, but it also broke a number of his ribs. Kron howled at the pain, which echoed throughout the area. The bull lizard then threw him against a nearby rock. Some of the shattered ribs had internally stabbed him, thus causing massive internal bleeding.

Kron coughed out blood. His vision began to fade. His bones were broken and parts of his body suffered from severe damage. The heavy footfalls returned and then stopped in front of him. Kron looked up to see a mouth full of razor teeth about to go down on him.

He prepared for the bite…but it never came. As his vision faded, he could faintly see his sister pushing the therapod away from him. He tried to call her name, but could not has he coughed up more blood. Not only that, but something had zipped behind the Carnotaur at the cliff's edge. He could not make out what it was, but it did not world around him disappeared into darkness. His breathing and his heart stopped. Kron exhaled as he descended into nothingness…

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Neera shoved the Carnotaur again. The climb was arduous and drained much of her energy. Yet, she kept going. She was determined to save her brother, regardless of all his actions. They were close to the edge of the cliff that much she knew after watching Kron fight the beast off. Again and again, she tried to push it off, but the carnivore blocked that attempt with a swipe of its horned head.

The female Iguanadon landed against a nearby rock, on the opposite side of where Kron lay. The push was not as strong as what it did to Kron, but it was enough to stun Neera. The Carnotaurus placed a clawed foot on its prey and prepared to end her life.

Except his chance was thwarted when Aladar swiped it away with his tail. His enemy quickly recovered and roared at him. Aladar did the same but was then knocked away with a massive tail swipe. Like Neera, he was stunned, but only temporarily. As he attempted to get back up, the carnivore thundered towards him, ready to take him out for good.

Suddenly, a rock socked him on the left side of its face. The blow was not major, but it was enough to gets its attention. The Carnotaur let out a surprised bark and turned towards the direction of the throw. There, standing on a small rocky ledge behind where Neera lay, was Hazel.

"Hey Dorkasaurus! Your brain's the size of a walnut!" she taunted. With that said, she chucked another rock, which successfully hit it in the face again.

The dinosaur let out an angry roar and proceeded to kill the insect. Hazel unsheathed her dagger and prepared to attack. She crouched down, ready to make a run for its legs. The creature was about to swipe her away with its head but was then bombarded on its right side.

Flia had swooped down from above and stabbed it multiple times with her beak. However, because the Carnotaurus' hide was so thick, she was only doing minor damage. This gave Hazel enough time to jump off the ledge and make for its legs. With her dagger, she swiped twice, leaving two X scratches on its left bird-like leg.

The beast screamed. Aladar, now recovered from the hit, shoved against the Carnotaur, attempting to push it off the cliff. The combination of sword slashes, pecking, and shoving were sufficient in keeping the therapod distracted.

When it was at the very edge, all three of them backed away to hit it with one last shot. Flia, who had flown higher to give herself altitude for one final strike, dove down for its flank. She tucked in her wings and stayed straight to give herself more speed. Unfortunately, her attempt was thwarted in the form of the Carnotaur switching to the other side and batting her away with its head.

"Flia!" Hazel screamed as she watched her collide against the wall above the ledge she was on earlier. The Pteranodon slumped onto the flat boulder and did not move.

She returned her attention back at the Carnotaur, who was about to clamp its jaws on them. Aladar and Hazel backed up from it, intimidated. Then, the rock they were on began to crumble. The sounds caused the duo to look down and see the ledge give way from the bull-like dinosaur's weight.

Hazel quickly dug into her back pocket for a small palm-sized remote. This was the moment she had been waiting for. She pressed on of the buttons and the time poles that were drilled vertically into the ledge activated. The time portal opened within a fraction of a second. Aladar began to turn away to run but was then dragged off when the Carnotaur bit him on his body. But the grip was not that hard. The Carnotaur let go and fell down into the portal just a few feet below him. The creature's scream echoed in the canyon and then disappeared as it, and a few of the boulders, fell through the portal.

Hazel pressed the button again to switch off the time portal. Once the portal disappeared, she hurried over to Aladar to help him up. He had his arms on the ledge and was pulling himself up like Simba from The Lion King. The human grabbed onto one of his arms and, with what strength she could use to help a creature heavier than her, helped him up.

Neera and Flia, recuperated from their ordeal, approached them from nearby. The Pteranodon, who had been hit the hardest due to her less durable body, limped towards Hazel. The girl ran to her and supported her on her left wing like she would anyone who was wounded. She did not have any broken bones nor did she have any wounds, but was going to feel sore in the morning.

All of them looked down at the ravine to see if their efforts paid off. When the dust cleared, there was no sign of a corpse nor any visible body part under the rubble. Hazel thought of something fast to quell Aladar and Neera's suspicions.

"Rocky burial…" she said out of the blue. "That thing's reign is over."

Flia was the only one who knew what her plan was. When they arrived at the cliff, and while the battle went on, Hazel and Flia dove down until they were a considerable distance away from the outcrop. The pterosaur flew slowly passed the wall and stopped only when her friend would dig the strange contraptions into the rock. She could have sworn Hazel mentioned something about a 'drilling function'. The young woman told her that the time poles were what brought her to this time, and what would bring her back home. Hazel also informed her that her plan was to send the Carnotaur away, where it could be 'managed better'. Flia did not think too much into it, as her explanation was hard to understand.

The calm after the battle was broken by the sound of Neera's voice.

"Kron…" she whispered.

All of them turned to find her over her brother's body. She lowered her head and tried to lift his up and feel any signs of life, only to feel that there was none. Neera slowly pulled away slowly, realizing that they had come too late. The female Iguanadon felt sadness and disbelief well up within her. Her only family was gone.

Aladar and the sky scouts joined up with her. The new leader showed his empathy and support by gently nudging her on the cheek. When he did, she craned her head and neck under his, with Aladar doing the same over her.

Hazel and Flia did not feel the same, but they knew that Kron did not deserve to go out like this. For Hazel, she felt ashamed for what she had done before the Carnotaur arrived. She had finally expressed her hatred for him in a vulgar manner, and now, she regretted it. Kron was dead, and she felt that she was the cause of his memory becoming stained by what he had done. They were terrible things, but he was only doing what he thought was best for the herd. Both of them bowed their head in silence as a way to respect his passing.

"_I'm sorry Kron,"_ Hazel prayed. _"Please forgive me. You didn't deserve this. I hope that you'll rest in peace…knowing that the herd's future…and your sister's…are secure."_

Aladar and Neera were the first to walk off when the time of mourning ended minutes later. After Flia helped Hazel with retrieving the time poles, she offered to take her back to the Nesting Grounds, but was surprised to hear her turn down the offer. Hazel wished to accompany the herd to the Nesting Grounds, yet did not say her reasons. Little did Flia know that Hazel wished to go with Aladar and Neera because it would be her last time to be with them for a while.

She walked off to join the Iguanadons, but stopped in her tracks when Flia called her.

"Wait..."

The girl glanced back, watching the Pteranodon intently. "What?"

"You had the time poles the entire time. You could have used them to go home. Yet...you did not. Why?" Flia wondered.

Hazel sighed. "When I first arrived here, I wanted to explore a new place, a new time. But after meeting you...well...I couldn't just leave you all behind. You're my friends, and I wanted to help you."

The scout said nothing more. She closed her eyes and smiled at that. Hazel did the same. The pterosaur nudged her head close to the human, allowing her to stroke her softly. Hazel frowned and looked down in sadness from not telling her the full truth. After a few more moments, Flia took a step back, spread her wings, and took off. Hazel stood there and watched her disappear to the other side.

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Back at Prehistoric Park…

Nigel stood at the holding pen and gazed at the view before him. The mountains and the forests had a calming sensation to them and he always found them relaxing. A perfect way to do so after travelling back in time to retrieve prehistoric animals. Today was the day that Hazel would return from her trip. Because of the message she sent the night before, he knew that the herd would not come today. However, he was eager to see her come back safely.

Today was a normal day; the animals were either doing their normal business or doing what they can to escape the heat of the summer afternoon. The wind blew softly through the valley, though it did not exactly help in cooling everyone off.

Nigel had already told Suzanne what had happened. He was in big trouble by her, but he shrugged it off. The head park keeper knew it was coming. He had told her that everything was alright and that he had the situation under control. The veterinarian did not believe him, but she will soon, once Hazel returns.

He did not have to wait long though. The time portal opened up before him. The familiar puddle-like appearance made Nigel smile. The image of the mountains blurred as the portal maintained its position. Nigel quickly climbed down the ladder nearby and passed through the barrier walls that led into the holding pen. He awaited just a few feet from the portal to greet the young recruit.

That smile went away when the immense body of a dinosaur fell through the portal. Nigel gasped and ran back to avoid getting crushed. The dinosaur had landed on its side with a grunt. Afterwards, a few boulders fell through, thankfully avoiding the wooden walls and Nigel.

The portal closed as fast as it opened up. Nigel's mouth fell open as he observed the creature slowly get back up on its two feet. It shook its immense head and opened its mouth full of teeth. The park creator knew what he was looking at, all because of the distinct horns above the dinosaur's eyes.

The Carnotaur's vision cleared up within moments. The creature was shocked to find itself in a lush valley rather than a desolate canyon. The first thing it caught sight of was the human slowly backing away from him. Soon after, more of his kind appeared on the walls. All of them were shocked to see a huge Carnotaurus in their midst.

"Oh dear…" Nigel nervously muttered.

Nigel turned and broke into a sprint. The carnivore let out a roar before running after him. Like before, the man made for the ladder that was nearby to escape from the danger. The Carnotaur was closing in fast, faster than Nigel had expected.

When the Carnotaur went into the holding pen, the other workers sealed off the exit, thus trapping the creature. Nigel had managed to make it up the last rung and escaped the jaws of the beast. The Carnotaur landed with a thud, shaking the ground a bit. It let out a series of roars and looked around frantically at its new surroundings. Two-leggeds, like the one it had encountered earlier, were milling around the walls.

Just then, a crane slowly went over the holding pen. The therapod immediately picked up the scent of fresh meat and looked up. The machine held a freshly prepared cow carcass. It watched the crane hover over him before it opened up its claws. The carcass fell flat onto the dirt with a muffled splat. The dinosaur sniffed at the meat before gorging in on its free meal.

Nigel observed the new addition to Prehistoric Park eat its fill. As much as he loved observing it, he began to feel worried about Hazel. Just like on previous missions, he and his crew would always go through the portal after bringing something in. Yet, this time, no human came through. He wondered if Hazel was alright. Did the Carnotaur hurt her while she was trying to bring him through? Did the herd leader harm her enough that she could not bring herself through the portal?

All those questions were running through his mind. For the first time in a long time, he felt concerned for her safety. She was supposed to come through today. Nigel quickly brought out the phone in his pocket and stared at it. The jet black touchscreen phone was off and the screen showed his reflection.

"Okay Hazel. You didn't bring me a herd of dinosaurs, but a temperamental Carnotaurus. Now where are you?"

_And done! Man that took a long time… haha, man the look on Nigel's face was priceless! Well, Hazel didn't bring the herd in, but she sure did bring Nigel a nice present. So as a heads up, I won't be able to write the next chapter for a while as I've got exams coming. However, after everything's calmed down, I'll return. Also, I just wanted to let you guys know that this story has two parts to it. I hope you enjoyed this story and stay tuned for the conclusion of the first part of Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure_


	13. Home is Where the Heart Is

_Hey guys I'm back! Here's the final chapter to part 1 of Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Park Adventure. I've also got more good news: not only is there going to be a part 2 (because the adventure isn't over yet), but there will also be a sequel! Whoo! :D So here's the final chapter and enjoy! __**Disclaimer: I do not own Prehistoric Park or Disney's Dinosaur. Only the characters I created.**_

**Something to Believe in by Epic Score and Returning to the Park by Daniel Pemberton**

The next day…

The light that shone from the mouth of the cave shimmered through like a bright beam. Everyone within the cave was partially blinded by it, but that did not matter. They have already survived a Carnotaur attack and braved the trails of their journey. Now, salvation is just within their reach. The fresh air blew in gently, welcoming the dinosaurs like an old friend would from a long time of separation.

Aladar and Neera were the first to reach the lip of the cave. Hazel, who had chosen to ride on Aladar's back, smiled as she breathed in the fresh air. Soon, the others behind them followed. Joy and relief shone on their faces as they looked upon their home.

"Welcome home," was all Aladar said as he looked at Neera and those near him.

Suddenly, a Parasaurolophus next to him trumpeted then ran off to frolic in the fields. Hazel covered her ears at that and then laughed. The other herd members followed, letting out their own cries of joy. Aladar and Neera slowly strode forward and watched their companions relish their victory.

Once the last dinosaur had left the cave, Hazel jumped off of her friend's back. She landed with a grunt and quickly recovered. The soft grass provided a soft landing for her. Aladar looked back to see what she was up to. The human said nothing and motioned him to go on ahead, signaling that she was all right.

The Iguanadon understood and went on ahead. Hazel watched her friends gather near the lake and talk about all that has happened. She observed them laugh and converse about whatever topic they spoke of. As she watched, Hazel became saddened. The herd had finally arrived at the Nesting Grounds, and she had not forgotten about the plan.

The nineteen year old turned and walked back into the cave. Hazel sighed and put her bag down on the floor. She then opened the largest pocket and took out the time poles. After zipping them back up, and hoisting the bag over her shoulder, she placed them about ten feet from each other, just like she had done many times before.

When that was done, she went back outside to view the scenery one last time. Hazel knew this day would come, and she was prepared for it. After taking one final look at her friends for another minute, she turned back to activate the portal.

However, she stopped dead at the entrance when a screech sounded from the sky. Hazel looked back and descending was a giant winged figure. The flyer landed gracefully before her and then folded its wings. The figure took a few steps forward on all fours until it was just inches from Hazel.

The girl stared into Flia's eyes for a moment before placing a hand on her beak. She stroked it gently, causing the Pteranodon to purr softly.

Flia was happy to see that her best friend was okay. She knew that she was in good hands when she went along with Aladar and respected her wish to do so. However, she still wondered as to why she wanted to go with them even when she could have just gone with her over the wall.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a hint of sadness in Hazel's eyes. Her stroking became slow until she pulled her hand away.

"Hazel?" Flia started. "Are you alright?"

The girl closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. When she did, she clenched her fists and spoke.

Back with the group, Aladar had finished laughing when Zini told a funny joke. He spoke about what he would have done if they had encountered the Velociraptors again. It was something about spanking his butt at them before pulling his "monkey" moves on them. As he spoke, however, the new leader noticed that something was missing. He had realized that neither Hazel nor Flia were with them. He looked from left to right until he found them back at the cave entrance.

Aladar turned and walked towards them, intending to get them to join the others. At first, he knew it would be simple. He was about halfway between the lake and the cave, yet it was still a bit of a distance. But all that changed when Flia broke the silence.

"What!? No you can't leave!"

At that sound, the dinosaur became concerned and rushed towards them. Hazel's expression remained unchanged, but she was holding back tears. Flia, on the other hand, was not taking the news very well. This human, who had been with them throughout the entire journey, was now leaving them.

"I'm sorry Flia," Hazel said painfully. "But it's time. I stayed to help the herd get back home. Now that it's done, there's no reason for me to remain here."

The flying reptile shook her head violently. "But what about us? Aren't we a good reason for you to stay?"

"Flia, you and the others are like a family to me. But I have another family too. Back at home. And I miss it."

At that moment, Flia let out a soft cry and pulled the human in. She was surprised at first when she did, but returned the action. The young one held on to her tightly, taking in the warmth and scent from her one last time, at least for a while.

"It's not forever Flia. I'll come back."

"You'd better," she replied threateningly, causing Hazel to chuckle. "Because if you don't, then I'm coming after you."

The touchy moment was broken with the sound of padded footfalls approaching them. Flia and Hazel pulled away and looked down at the hill, only to see Aladar run up to join them. The ornithopod slowed to a stop when he stood before them. As for Flia, she took a few steps back to give them space.

"Hey guys. Is something wrong?" he asked in a lighthearted tone.

"Yeah yeah everything's fine," Hazel half-lied. "We were just talking is all…"

"Really? Because it looked like you were close to crying just now."

Hazel sputtered and put her hands up in defense. "What? No! I wasn't crying! What makes you say that?"

Aladar gave her what Hazel would call the "come on spill it" look. She had seen that before and knew that there really was no point in hiding her feelings nor hiding her secret. Hazel looked at Flia, who had gestured her to tell Aladar with her head.

She let out a regretful sigh. "Aladar…I'm going home."

He stared at her in confusion when he had heard that. Aladar lowered his head to her eye level and stared at her. "What are you talking about? Wasn't your home destroyed?"

"Yeah…" she said and put her right hand at the back of her neck. "See about that…"

Hazel told him everything. She told him about her coming from the future and why she had come here. She did not skip a beat in her explanation, including her reason for not telling because he might treat her differently. The only things Hazel remembered not to say were her mission and the meteor. Her explanation lasted for about five minutes. When she finished, she exhaled and watched him, waiting for his reaction.

"Now you know. Like I said, I kept quiet about myself because if I told you the truth, then you wouldn't view me the same. I was afraid you'd shun me…just for being an outsider."

Aladar let out a snort. "Hazel, what made you think that I'd do that?"

Hazel's mouth fell open. "Wait what?"

"I'm mean, sure I'm surprised that you're from the future. Granted that it's going to take a while for me to get used to. But do you really think that I wouldn't consider you my friend just for revealing all that?"

"So…you're not mad?" Hazel asked. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. First she told the others her secret, and they were okay with her coming from the future. And now Aladar? The teen was happy that this was going smoothly, but she dreaded about the day when she would tell them about the meteor and perhaps her real reason for coming here.

"Of course not! Hazel, I don't care who you are, what you are, where or when you're from. You're my friend. And that's all that matters," he told her.

Hazel said nothing when he said that. Finally, her friends had understood her. She had done a good job holding back her tears, but now the emotions she was feeling now gave way. The tears fell down her cheeks and she did her best to wipe them away. Hazel did not like to cry, as she thought of it as a way of showing she was weak. Yet at the same time, she was happy.

"Oh crap…I'm crying."

"Is that a bad thing?" Aladar joked.

"No…" she answered with a sniffle and wiped away the last tear. "But to me it is."

The Iguanadon let out a laugh nudged her against her chest with his head. Hazel let out a surprised yelp before hugging him. Her eyes met his and both friends became stuck in the moment.

"I guess you're leaving now huh?" he said with a hint of sadness.

Hazel nodded with the same feeling. "Yeah. I have duties back at home."

"I'll miss you," Aladar mentioned.

When he said that, Flia got closer to her and glanced at the new leader before returning her gaze to Hazel.

"We all will," she corrected him.

The girl pulled away and took one last look at Aladar before heading into the darkness of the cave. She was about to pull out the remote to activate the time poles when she remembered something.

"Wait!" she yelled turning around. "What about the others? They…I don't want to leave without saying goodbye."

Both herbivore and pterosaur looked back for a moment then returned their attention to her. They had a small smile on them. Hazel was curious at this and was about to say something when Aladar beat her to it.

"Why don't you tell them yourself?"

At that statement, the rest of the gang suddenly appeared at the mouth of the cave. Eema, Url, and Baylene were panting when they had finally got there. The brachiosaurus stood behind everyone else while Eema and Url took their place at Aladar's right. The lemurs did not stop with the dinosaurs and just continued to hop towards to the human until they were just a few feet from her. As for Neera, she took her place on her new mate's left and watched in confusion as to what was happening.

"Hazel? Are you leaving?" Suri asked her innocently. The girl could clearly see that the young lemur was on the verge of tears.

Hearing Suri say that saved Hazel the trouble of telling them the situation. Hazel's heart fell at the sound of that. She had hoped she would avoid this situation and just leave, but another part had told her that it was inevitable. She was never great at goodbyes, as she always felt emotional in those situations.

She went to Suri, knelt down, and placed a hand on her soft furry head. "Yeah. I'm going home."

"Home?" Neera started and looked left and right at everyone. "What's going on?"

"Uh…" her mate stammered a bit then finally got a sentence out. "I'll tell you later."

Yar huffed at that and crossed his arms. "Girl, you just arrived here and now you're leaving? And without saying goodbye? I don't care if you're from the future, but if you think that we're going to stand for this then you've got another thing coming!"

"Indeed young lady!" Baylene added, her British accent echoing in the cave. "It is not right to leave without saying a proper farewell. How inconsiderate of you!"

Hazel laughed and finished petting Suri's head. "Okay okay you caught me."

Eema laughed at what was happening. "So then…what are you going to do now?"

The girl stood back up slowly. "Well, I've got things to do back home. Nigel and the rest of the folks are probably going to kill me for being gone for so long. But rest assured, I'll come back and visit."

"You'd better!" the old lady added.

With that said, Hazel turned and took out the remote in her pocket. She pressed the red button at the very top of the black remote with her thumb. When she did, the blue lights blinked on and the poles hummed to life. The familiar rippling portal appeared between them and shimmered in the darkness.

The dinosaurs and lemurs stared in awe and made comments of wonder. Hazel smirked and strode forward, about to step into the portal. But before she did, she took one last look back at her friends.

"Well this is it. At least for now," she said.

"Stay out of trouble you hear?" Aladar hollered at her.

The human rolled her eyes in a joking manner. "Funny, I was going to say the same thing."

Suri let out a quiet cry, which attracted her attention. Hazel looked down at her and saw that she was rubbing her eyes. Plio went to her and pulled her in to an embrace. The human sighed and brought her hand up. She then removed the bracelet she had on and then placed on the ground before them.

"Hey Suri," she said, causing the young primate to stop crying and observe her. "Look after that for me okay?"

She was confused at her words until she took notice of the bracelet she had left. The bracelet was of two strings on each side that were attached to a ring in the middle, much like her choker. The item was already closed, making it look whole.

The little monkey rubbed her nose and nodded. She picked up the bracelet with both paws and held it tightly. Before stepping into the vortex, she reached for the communicator in her ear and pressed the small button in the main portion. She heard the low hum and then silence, meaning that the device had powered down. Hazel removed it and then put it in her pocket. With that, the human stepped into the portal and left the Cretaceous period, leaving her friends behind. When she was gone, the portal that was once there disappeared into thin air. The time poles that were once imbedded into the rock had also disappeared.

"Whoa…" Zini had uttered, finally breaking his silence.

"So…" the female Iguanadon sounded. "I'm guessing there's something big that Hazel neglected to tell me?"

Aladar chuckled. "You might want to sit down for this."

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Nigel saw the portal shimmer to life from the overlook he was on at the holding pens. He gripped onto the balcony bars and braced himself, expecting another dinosaur to come through. However, his nervousness fell away when a small figure flashed through the portal. The puddle-like vortex rippled and then disappeared as fast as it appeared. The small figure was that of a nineteen year old girl with long black hair wearing a dirtied purple tank top and shorts. Nigel smiled and quickly made a beeline down the ladder.

"Hazel!" he cried out and ran to her.

The girl stopped walking forward and let out a yelp when the man hugged her tightly. The embrace was so tight that she was having a hard time breathing.

"Thank goodness you're alright!"

This was twice now that someone had hugged her and almost killed her by squeezing. Hazel let out a gag, meaning that she needed air.

"Nigel…can't…breathe…" she strained.

"Oh sorry," he apologized the let her go. She let out a gasp along with a series of deep breaths. She even bent down to recover, which did not take very long.

The commotion at the holding pens attracted Suzanne and Bob, who had stayed there to watch for Hazel's return. When they arrived at Nigel's original position, they hurried down the ladder and then joined up with them. This time, it was the vet's turn to squeeze the life out of Hazel, making her the third one to do so.

"Hazel!" she cried out and then let go to examine the girl for any injuries.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? You have blood on your shirt! What happened?" the dark haired woman said in one breath.

Hazel laughed. "Don't worry. It's not my blood. And I'm fine."

"You had us all worried kid!" Bob went next. "You should have returned sooner!"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry, there were complications along the way."

"Alright alright enough," Nigel spoke, breaking the worried tension. "Hazel just got back, let's give her some air."

When he said that, the vet and the park keeper took a step back. The girl took in another few breaths before regaining her composure. It was also at the moment that she remembered what she had done the day before.

"So…I'm guessing you liked the present I gave you?" Hazel nervously chuckled.

"Like it?" the park creator started. "It's amazing! Though you should really give me a head's up before you send anything through the portal."

"Yeah sorry. I kind of had my hands full."

"Hands full…" Suzanne placed her hands on her hips. "Right. I had loads of fun patching that Carnotaurus, especially on his leg."

Hazel's eyes widened like marbles. She gulped quietly and did her best to hide her reaction. She remembered that she was the one who made those scratches, but at least the dinosaur was in good hands. Hazel knows that he'll make a full recovery, although she's not sure if he'll have any good terms with her at all.

"So did you find a herd?" the bald man with a mustache asked.

Hazel nodded. "Sure did. But I kind of have to leave them for a while."

"Why's that?" he went again.

"Well…they're settling in to their home. And I wouldn't want to be around when they're doing their…doity business," she replied in a gangster accent.

"Doity business?" he wondered.

The vet placed a hand on his shoulder. "She means the mating season."

"Oh!" he realized then turned away from her for a moment.

"Well I'm sure that Hazel would love to tell us of her adventure, but right now, I'm guessing that she's hungry," Nigel reasoned.

"Oh gosh yes!" Hazel cheered. "Finally some real food!"

With that said, the quartet made their way out of the holding pen area and towards the dining hall.

"I'm so hungry, I could eat Martha!" she joked, referring to Martha the mammoth. The other adults laughed at that and strolled through the hot summer sun.

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Epilogue…

"This is truly amazing!" Nigel commented as he watched the video on Hazel's phone.

After having a full meal, Nigel had taken Hazel to his office so that she could really tell him all that had happened. She did not reveal anything about communing with the dinosaurs, the lemurs, or even Nigel's inventions to Suzanne and Bob, as she had promised weeks before.

Hazel sat next to Nigel at his desk and watched him observe the video she took of the battle against the Carnotaurus. The roars of the herbivores and the predator resounded from the little device. When the video finished, he exited the app and placed the phone on his desk.

"Well that was truly remarkable! You weren't kidding when you said that the herd consisted of many species. Not to mention a number of them were from different continents and different time periods. And how they battled that Carnotaurus! I wish I saw it myself."

"Well, now you know why it took me a while to get back," she mentioned.

"So this Kron fellow is dead?" Nigel asked.

When he said that, the guilt on Hazel's face returned. She had hoped that he would not mention that. She even still felt guilty for what she had done back at the canyon.

"Yeah, I couldn't save him."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that," he told her empathetically.

The teen shook her head. "No no it's fine. It couldn't be helped." She looked away and stared at the mountains in the distance.

"Well enough about that. The plains are almost ready for the herd, the plants just need to grow a bit more. But since you have told me that the Nesting Grounds had a large lake, I'm thinking about adding one too. It might take a while, but I'm sure the herd-"

Hazel quickly cut him off there. As she stared at the mountains, something sparked within her. She stood up and looked out some more. In fact, at that part of the valley. There was something familiar about the formation, but she could not put her finger on it.

"Hazel, what is it?"

"Nigel…the time poles record the coordinates of the last location visited right?" she wondered.

"Yes," he nodded.

The girl quickly grabbed one of the time poles that was leaning against the desk and put it in front of Nigel. She did not slam them, but the force was enough to create a sound the made him jump.

"Could you please check?"

Nigel lifted an eyebrow up. "Okay…whatever you say."

The man opened up a barely visible compartment just below the twisting mechanism at the top. When he did, the lid was pulled back to reveal a number pad along with a blank blue screen. The park creator pressed a series of those buttons in a pattern until the coordinates showed.

"Okay here are the coordinates," he said.

"Alright, where are they on the map?" Hazel asked next.

He then got up and went to the giant map of the world behind them. He flipped a few of the giant pages from behind forward until he finally reached the map of the present day. Nigel took another look at the coordinates and followed to where they were. His finger went over the continent of Africa, then they went south, until they stopped on one location. The results stunned him.

"But…that's impossible," he said in astonishment.

"What? What is it?" Hazel got up and went over to the map.

She looked at the map and followed to where Nigel's finger was pointing. It was an area in southern Africa, one where there were a series of valleys and vegetation. Hazel let out a gasp at where he was pointing at.

"No way…it can't be," she whispered.

Nigel slowly turned his head at her. The young adventurer did the same and then both looked out at Prehistoric Park. The staff were busy milling around caring for the inhabitants and running other duties. The birds up ahead flew by, completing the scenery. Both of them trembled a little and then relaxed.

"Believe it Hazel," Nigel uttered. "We're standing in what was the Nesting Grounds."

_Tada! Part 1 is finally done! Well, what do you think? Kind of surprised you at the end huh? So I've got a series of things coming up for me so it's going to take a while for part 2 to come out. I hope you enjoyed the story and see you on the next issue!_


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